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Recognizing June 19, 2017 as "World Sickle Cell Awareness Day" in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Since 2008, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day has been held annually, in order to help increase public knowledge and raise awareness of Sickle Cell Disease and the struggles sufferers and their families experience; and
WHEREAS, According to the World Health Organization, Sickle Cell Disease ("SCD") is an inherited blood disorder affecting red blood cells and is the most common genetic disease in the United States. People with SCD produce red bloods cells that contain abnormal hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Sometimes the affected red blood cells can become shaped like a sickle, or crescent, rather than the normal round shape of healthy cells. Sickle cells can then block the flow of blood through the body, damaging lung tissues, and causing incredibly painful episodes in the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen. Adults and children with SCD are often at risk for strokes; and
WHEREAS, SCD affects millions of people throughout the world and is particularly common among those whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"), it is estimated that 100,000 individuals are affected by SCD in the United States and that approximately 3 million people in the United States are carriers. Of the individuals infected with the disease, between 65% to 70% of those individuals are classified as underserved or economically disadvantaged. Additionally, the mental and financial cost on the families battling SCD is incredibly high; and
WHEREAS, The CDC reports that approximately 1,000 babies are born with SCD each year in the United States, with t...
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