Neonatal Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria: A Scoping Review of Feasibility Studies

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major public health concern in Nigeria, which bears the highest global burden of the condition. Despite strong evidence that early detection through newborn screening (NBS) improves survival and long-term outcomes, Nigeria does not currently have a national NBS programme for SCD. Over the past two decades, isolated feasibility, pilot, and implementation studies have been conducted across different Nigerian states, but their findings remain fragmented. A synthesis of this evidence is crucial for informing national policy, identifying system readiness, and guiding large-scale implementation of NBS. This scoping review aims to map the existing feasibility studies on newborn screening for SCD in Nigeria and provide a pooled quantitative summary of haemoglobin phenotype distribution among screened newborns.