Soon dead? Experts dismiss belief sickle cell a death sentence

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Observer - Employers discriminate against sickle cell patients, say experts SICKLE cell experts yesterday debunked as myth, a common belief that the illness is a death sentence, and appealed to Jamaicans to end stigmatisation and employment discrimination of people with the disease. Director of the Sickle Cell Unit Professor Marvin Reid, and officials of the Sickle Cell Support Club of Jamaica and the Sickle Cell Trust, told the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange that the nature of the stigmatisation has resulted in depression among many sickle cell patients. "The typical perception of most people is that people with sickle cell die, and die very early," said Professor Reid, who pointed out that the life expectancy of sickle cell patients is just about 10 years less than the average life expectancy of Jamaicans.