6 crore people screened under National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission
India's National Sickle Cell Elimination Mission has already screened 6 crore people since July 2023, focusing mostly on tribal communities aged 0-40.
The mission is working toward screening a total of 7 crore by 2026 and wants to wipe out sickle cell disease completely by 2047.
Over 2 lakh sickle cell patients identified
So far, the screenings have uncovered over 2 lakh people with sickle cell disease and nearly 17 lakh carriers.
To help track care, about 2.6 crore health cards have been handed out.
States like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan are leading in coverage, while Odisha and Chhattisgarh are seeing the highest number of cases.
Next steps for the mission
Quick testing kits make diagnosis faster and easier—even in remote areas.
There's now a central dashboard where all the screening data gets tracked in real time.
Next up: ramping up screenings even more and making sure counseling and treatment reach everyone who needs it.