World Sickle Cell Day 2023 Toolkit

Statement and Toolkit on World Sickle Cell Day – June 19th, 2023
Raise Awareness, Stop Their Pain!

The World Health Organization (2006) and the United Nations (2008) have recognized sickle cell disease as a global public health priority and in order to raise awareness of the disease, designated the 19th day of June every year as World Sickle Cell Day (WSCD). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that sickle-cell disease affects nearly 100 million people worldwide and over 300 000 children are born every year with the condition.

Tragically, the majority of these individuals will die in childhood due to a lack of basic care, and those who survive into adulthood too often face a life of chronic disability and premature death unless disease-modifying therapy can be provided.

The WHO, therefore, urges countries affected by Sickle Cell Disease to establish health programs at the national level and to promote access to medical services for people affected by the disease.

The Global Action Network for Sickle Cell & Other Inherited Blood Disorders launched on April 6th, 2023, is using this medium to encourage governments, clinician organizations, and patient organizations to utilize this day as a stepping stone to jointly advance policy changes that will improve the health outcomes of people living with inherited blood disorders.

World Sickle Cell Day Theme
The GANSID wishes to thank the SCD community for the multiple requests for a WSCD theme from GANSID and wishes to inform that the GANSID will not release a theme this year but rather use this year to:

1. Learn and understand the themes and activities that the sickle cell community would be interested in for future World Sickle Cell Days.
2. Showcase its member organizations’ WSCD 2023 activities.

Take The Survey
As such, we have created a 3-question survey with respect to the WSCD themes and initiatives and it should only take 2 minutes to complete. Please ensure to complete it by June 14th, 2023 and we thank you in advance for your time.

Link to survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSCDquestions

QR code to access the survey:

Share Your World Sickle Cell Day 2023 Activities
Furthermore, to showcase our member organizations’ activities for WSCD 2023, the GANSID is encouraging patient organizations to submit by June 5th, 2023, the poster(s) and images of their WSCD 2023 activities with an accompanying blurb (120 words or less) along with their social media handles.

Why Did We Make This Toolkit?
This toolkit is intended to help you, the patient and community organizations, health and social services providers, health care provider organizations, industry partners, media creators, affiliates, collaborators, and families affected by sickle cell disease raise awareness and start conversations online as you join us for World Sickle Cell Day 2023 on June 19th.

Helpful Hints

1. Add an image to your post. You can use the images we created or create your own. Your creativity is encouraged. You can talk about yourself, your family, or your organization to really connect with viewers.
2. Tag followers, public figures, leaders, celebrities, and more to encourage additional participation and engagement. If you know someone who may be interested in #GANSID, tag them to spread the word.
3. Include a call to action in your post. The best way to raise awareness is to spread the word and encourage others to join in. Make sure you use clear wording, so your followers know what you’re asking them and how they can join #GANSID in improving the #HealthOutcomes of people affected by #SickleCellDisease
4. Try to engage with your followers as much as you can. Answer questions and comments under your posts.

Sample Posts
Choose from the following copy-and-paste social media posts below, and make sure to use, them by the deadline indicated, tagging #WorldSickleCellDay and #GlobalHealthEquity.

If you require any assistance, you may reach out to info@inheritedblooddisorders.world.