Sickle cell disease affects 1-3% of newborns in sub-Saharan Africa. The epidemiological and anthropological situations, the unequal health policies from a country to another, argue the interest of located historicized studies. In the context of the setting of a national health center dedicated to sickle cell disease, we studied in 2007-2008 the interrelationship between the knowledge and the social treatment of the disease, both in rural and urban contexts. This study was made by means of interviews conducted with affected individuals, parents of affected children, traditional practitioners, biomedical doctors and members of associations of patients. This research emphasized the impact of changes in knowledge on the social lives of patients, the impact of economic globalization and of the globalization of health practices on family trajectories. It calls for the consideration of social contexts in public health policy and communication activities.
