; Whereas the global imprint of SCD affects millions of people throughout the world; particularly among those persons whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy; Whereas the variance related to disease prevalence of sickle cell trait ranges greatly by region, and there are levels recorded as high as 40 percent in certain areas of sub-Saharan Africa, eastern Saudi Arabia, and central India; Whereas in countries that are poor in resources, more than 90 percent of children with SCD do not live to see adulthood; Whereas approximately 1,000 children in Africa are born with SCD daily with more than half who will die before their fifth birthday; Whereas there is a high prevalence of SCD in India, most notably within the central and western regions that results in nearly 20 percent of babies diagnosed with SCD dying by the age of two; Whereas, 16 years ago, in 2006, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution recognizing SCD as a public health priority with a call to action that each country implement measures to tackle the disease, and three years later, the United Nations adopted this same resolution in 2009; Whereas newborn screening for SCD is a crucial first step for families to obtain a timely diagnosis and the establishment of comprehensive care, which in turn helps to decrease mortality and morbidity for higher survival rates in children; Whereas approved treatments for SCD remain few in number with only four Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies since 2017, and there is a robust SCD pipeline with over 40 therapies in development; Whereas considering the impact of this molecular disease that results in the suffering of patients as well as their families living with SCD, there is an immediate need for life-saving therapeutics that can improve the duration and quality of patients lives