Sickle Cell Anemia in Yemen

Among Yemen’s Muhamasheen people, hereditary blood disorders like sickle cell disease (SCD) add a heavy layer to an already severe health burden. The Muhamasheen are especially vulnerable to preventable illnesses and have limited access to reliable diagnosis and treatment as the needs of non-Muhamasheen Yemenis are prioritized.

Sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that causes red blood cells to assume a sickle shape leading to chronic pain, anemia, organ damage, and increased risk of infection, is particularly prevalent in Muhamasheen people. Sickle cell disease requires consistent medical care, pain management, and sometimes life-saving interventions such as blood transfusions or hydroxyurea therapy—services that are already scarce and often unavailable in Yemen’s war-strained health system. The compounded effect of genetic risk, poverty, discrimination, and inadequate health services means that Muhamasheen individuals with sickle cell disease face disproportionate suffering and mortality compared to the broader Yemeni population.