Gazelle Stories
Gazelle is part of India’s National Health Mission
India’s groundbreaking sickle cell elimination initiative aims to screen 70 million people in 17 states with high prevalence to eliminate Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) from India by 2047.
Gazelle has been adopted for facility-based screening in the States of Odisha and Tamil Nadu under the NHM operational guidelines for sickle cell anemia and is currently installed in thousands of Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) and Community Healthcare Centers (CHCs) across the state.
Transforming healthcare in northern Ghana
Sickle cell is a significant health issue in Ghana, and at least 2% of all newborns are affected by the disease. However, access to testing and care facilities are limited, especially for families in rural areas.
Gazelle has been part of a large-scale study of 6,000 subjects conducted by the Navrongo Health Research Center to evaluate the feasibility of integrating point-of-care testing for sickle cell disease at primary healthcare facilities in the rural area of Navrongo.
The results of the study, presented at the poster session of the European Hematology Association Conference in June 2024, demonstrated that integrating Gazelle into existing primary healthcare programs, especially vaccination appointments, is not only feasible, but can be rapidly accomplished, allowing affected children to get early access to comprehensive care.
Finding cases of beta thalassemia in Africa
Beta thalassemia is relatively rare in Africa, and Gazelle is the only point-of-care test that detects it.
However, if a child inherits the gene for sickle cell from one parent and the gene for beta thalassemia from the other, she will develop sickle-beta thalassemia, which is a severe condition requiring lifelong treatment for survival.
Researchers at the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC) in Uganda have found cases of beta thalassemia trait with the Gazelle Hb Variant Test that would have gone undetected.
Gazelle launched in Vietnam
Our distributor in Vietnam, Biomedical Vietnam, collaborates with Nghia Lo Regional General Hospital for beta thalassemia screening in the Northern Highland region where the disease is highly prevalent.
Tamil Nadu screening event
Gazelle is used for screening at the 2023 DPH Health camp in Ooty Medical College and is showcased to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Mission Director of National Health Mission.
Beta Thalassemia launch at Gangaram Hospital
The Gazelle beta thalassemia test is officially launched in the presence of the Chief Minister and Minister of Tribal Affairs at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, on World Thalassemia Day, 2023. Gazelle is also showcased and used for on-the-spot screening.
Tanzania World Sickle Cell & Non-Communicable Disease Day Event
On Tanzania’s 2023 World Sickle Cell Day and Non-Communicable Day Event, Gazelle is presented to the experts in the field of hematology and is showcased to Tanzania’s Health Minister, Ms. Mwalimu.
Uganda Buganda Kingdom’s first placement of Gazelle
In the Buganda Kingdom, the largest kingdom in Uganda, 4,000 tests are conducted to screen children and adults for sickle cell disease. King Mutebi II, in the background with purple tie and mask, volunteers to be the first to get tested.
