Background: Sickle cell disease is the commonest genetic disorder of haemoglobin due to inheritance of mutant haemo- globin genes from both parents. The disorder is characterized by chronic haemolysis which results in increased availability of iron from red blood cell destructions. Objective: To determine the prevalence of iron overload among non-chronically blood transfused preschool children with sickle cell anaemia. Methods: Serum ferritin was assayed and transferrin saturation derived in 97 steady state sickle cell anaemia children. Ele- vated iron stores were defined as serum ferritin level >300ng/ml, and transferrin saturation >45%. . Results: Serum ferritin level was greater than 300 mg/ml in 14 (14.4%) subjects and transferrin saturation >45% in six (6.2%) subjects with sickle cell anaemia. The prevalence of iron overload was 20.6%. The prevalence of iron overload was higher among subjects in older age group, female, with history of blood transfusion, and with single blood transfusion ses- sion. Conclusion: Iron overload is prevalent in older children; the number of blood transfusion sessions notwithstanding. Regu- lar assessment of serum ferritin is recommended. Keywords: Sickle cell anemia; iron overload; serum ferritin; transferrin saturation; elevated iron.

Although congenital tuberculosis (TB) is rare, it is associated with a high mortality rate. The infection is mainly acquired transplacentally and less  frequently from infective lesions on the maternal genital tract. Many cases are missed in clinical practice due to the non-specific presentation of the  disease hence the tendency to either miss the diagnosis or make the diagnosis late. We report an infant of a 32-year-old mother who was treated  for multi-drug resistant TB before the index pregnancy and probably had a relapse during pregnancy. The infant presented with features of sepsis at the age of ten days, but tuberculosis was only suspected when there was no clinical response to routine antibiotic therapy, and the medical  history of the mother was reviewed. This report is to create awareness about the non-specific manifestations of the disease and highlight some  helpful diagnostic methods in a resourcepoor setting.