June 19 has been earmarked as World Sickle Cell Day to create awareness, generate public understanding, and inform the society about the disease. According to reports, sickle cell disease mostly affects blacks and people of color due to genetic formation.
It is estimated that one out of every 365 Black or African-American births experience the ailment. It occurs among about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births and about 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT), CDC reported.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said the disease affects an estimated 100, 000 Americans including some of our favorite stars of past and present.
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As we mark World Sickle Cell Day, we take a look at some famous black people you probably didn’t know have Sickle Cell disease, and at the same time using their fame to create awareness about the disease.
