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Review
. 2025 Feb 25;9(4):939-947.
doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2024012983.

Building capacity for pediatric hematological diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

Lulu Chirande  1 , Ruth Namazzi  2 , Marilyn Hockenberry  3 , Peter Wasswa  3 , Sarah Kiguli  2 , Tadala Mulemba  4 , Julie M Gastier-Foster  5 , Magdalena Lyimo  6 , Gladstone Airewele  3 , Joseph Lubega  3 , Nmazuo Ozuah  3
Affiliations
Review

Building capacity for pediatric hematological diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

Lulu Chirande et al. Blood Adv. .

Abstract

The spectrum of hematological diseases in African children includes anemias, bleeding disorders, thromboses, and oncological diseases such as leukemias. Although data are limited, outcomes for these diseases are poorer in Africa. The dearth of specialists, and lack of infrastructure that supports diagnosis and management, have been identified as key barriers to improving outcomes for childhood hematological disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To address these, intentional capacity building efforts addressing education and training, diagnostic capacity, and access to blood products and medicines are needed. This article explores some ongoing efforts in the region aimed at fostering the capacity to identify and treat childhood hematological disorders across a breadth of initiatives targeting the critical themes of education, diagnostic support, and treatment. We also identify existing opportunities through international partnerships, to build sustainable programs that can support children with hematological diseases in SSA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest disclosure: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Contribution of leukemia and lymphoma to childhood cancers at 2 hospitals in Uganda, compared with data from the SEER program of the US National Cancer Institute. CNS, central nervous system; MNRH, Mulago National Referral Hospital; MRRH, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital; SEER, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A multidisciplinary case discussion: one of the key learning avenues for the PHO fellowship programs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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