The World Health Organisation has released its first-ever global guideline on the management of Sickle Cell Disease during pregnancy.

In a statement issued on Thursday in commemoration of the 2025 World Sickle Cell Day, the organisation said that the guideline would address critical and growing health challenges that could threaten both women and babies.

The theme of the 2025 WSCD, annually celebrated around the world on June 19, is “Global Action, Local Impact: Empowering Communities for Effective Self-Advocacy

SCD is a group of inherited blood disorders characterised by abnormally shaped red blood cells that resemble crescents or sickles.

The cells can block blood flow, causing severe anaemia, episodes of severe pain, recurrent infections, as well as medical emergencies like strokes, sepsis, or organ failure.

Health risks associated with SCD can aggravate during pregnancy due to heightened demands on the body’s oxygen and nutrient supply.

The global body, therefore, stated that women with SCD faced a four-to-11-fold higher likelihood of maternal death than those without the disease.