I would thus invite the Assembly to join this battle against drepanocytosis.

- Fight against drepanocytosis: Agreement with the Niamey National Hospital; financing of a sales outlet for inexpensive pharmaceutical products (Niger),

Likewise, those efforts will remain inconclusive so long as HIV/AIDS, malaria, drepanocytosis and other diseases continue to rage in our countries.

In addition, drepanocytosis had become a major public health problem in Africa, and its debilitating effects were an obstacle to development.

I would also like to invite the international community to support Africa in its fight against drepanocytosis — otherwise known as sickle cell anaemia — which has become a public health problem in several countries.

For that reason the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in Sirte from 2 to 5 July, adopted a decision supporting the inclusion of genetic drepanocytosis on the list of priorities for public health.