Uganda launches free sickle cell screening in universities

"We want students to know their sickle cell status early. If young people understand whether they carry the sickle cell trait before marriage, they can make informed decisions and significantly reduce the chances of having children born with sickle cell disease," Ajambo said.

She said the campaign will initially target first-year students during orientation, with student health ministers in both public and private universities leading awareness drives and coordinating screening exercises on their campuses, and so far, 80 institutions have already been enrolled on the program.

Ajambo said the ministry will provide Ugandan-made, WHO-approved testing kits at all universities, which students will use to determine their status.

The ministry believes combining education with voluntary testing will help dispel myths surrounding sickle cell disease while increasing uptake of screening among young adults.

The university programme complements Uganda's newborn screening initiative, which was recently rolled out to identify affected babies immediately after birth and ensure they receive early treatment before complications develop.

On Tuesday, Ayume said the government intends to sustain the programme by providing additional test kits to universities across the country, provided institutions account for the supplies appropriately.

"We shall continue supplying these test kits as long as there is proper accountability," Ayume said. "This programme is not a one-off intervention. We want every young Ugandan to know their sickle cell status before they begin raising families."

He explained that the long-term goal is to bridge the gap between the country's newborn screening programme and adulthood.

"Eventually, the children we are screening today at birth will grow up already knowing their status. Until then, universities provide the best opportunity to reach those who may have never been tested," Ayume said.

Ajambo said sickle cell disease occurs when a child inherits the sickle cell gene from both parents. Individuals who carry only one copy of the gene are healthy but can pass it on to their children. Because carriers often have no symptoms, many couples remain unaware of their status until they have a child diagnosed with the disease.

The Ministry of Health hopes routine screening at universities will increase awareness among young people and reduce such cases through informed family planning. To kick-start the initiative, Makerere University has organised a large medical camp targeting 10,000 students for free sickle cell testing.

Makerere University Health Minister Ebenezer Wamezaya said the exercise is intended not only to identify students' sickle cell status but also to improve awareness about a disease that continues to affect thousands of Ugandan families every year.

"We want students to understand why it is important to know their status early," Wamezaya said. "Many young people have never been tested, yet this information can influence important decisions later in life."

The campaign will gradually expand to other institutions of higher learning across Uganda, creating one of the country's largest youth-focused sickle cell prevention programmes as part of broader efforts to reduce the country's sickle cell burden through early diagnosis, public education and preventive screening rather than relying solely on treatment after children are born with the disease.