Mass Screening Programs for Sickle Cell Hemoglobin

With the passage of the National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act in Congress, recently, millions of dollars will be available for research, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and genetic counseling for this dread disease. A substantial proportion of the consequent multimillion dollar funding will encourage and support numberless man-hours of work by physicians, technologists, social workers, health workers, and government officials in pursuit of well-intentioned mass sickle-cell screening programs. If such efforts are undertaken with less than adequate insight and understanding of some of the problems and goals involved, less than optimal benefits will be achieved and the black victims of this disease will bear the burden of the measure of failure. A few highly pertinent considerations of the overall problem may be helpful for those individuals who will be responsible in the future for the organization and delivery of mass screening programs, both for civilians or military personnel. A successful mass