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To recognize June 19, 2021, as World Sickle Cell Awareness Day in the City of Columbus and to support efforts to increase local and global awareness regarding sickle cell disease.
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WHEREAS, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is an annual global public health campaign held on June 19th ; it focuses on improving awareness on the topic of sickle-cell disease, also known as sickle-cell anemia, which is the most frequent genetic disorder worldwide; the original resolution was first adopted by the United Nations on December 22, 2008; the resolution recognized the work of the World Health Organization which advocated identifying sickle cell disease as a public health problem and to distinguish sickle cell as one of the world’s foremost genetic diseases, it also called for members of the United Nations General Assembly to use the occasion to stress the importance of continuing research to treat this illness; and
WHEREAS, sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells and can cause serious health problems, which include restricted blood flow, tissue and organ damage, prolonged episodes of intense physical pain, stroke, blindness and vision problems, and an increased susceptibility to infections; it is characterized by an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells - the affected cells assume an abnormal sickle-like shape, hence the name sickle cell disease, and
WHEREAS, an estimated 300,000 children are born with Sickle Cell Disease each year; moreover a projected 100,000 people die annually due to this illness; while sickle cell disease is a global health problem, this disorder occurs more frequently in tropical regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the West Indies; it also impacts people of almost all races including people of Mediterranean descent; in the United States more than 100,000 people have sickle cell disease, which equates to one out of every five hundred African-American children being born with sickle cell anemia; and
WHEREAS, The Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center serves as one of our community’s key strategic partners in the fight against sickle cell disease; the organization advocates holistic health care for sickle cell patients and works to improve health outcomes for sickle cell patients transitioning from childhood to adulthood - their clinic provides education and psychological support and practices a philosophy that believes that better patient outcomes can be achieved by bringing together medical professionals, hospitals, and peer mentoring groups to coordinate all-inclusive patient care; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby recognize June 19, 2021, as World Sickle Cell Awareness Day in the City of Columbus; moreover, this Council resolves to continue to support efforts to increase local and global awareness regarding the treatment and prevention of sickle cell disease.