The Need · Arizona
Sickle Cell Disease in Arizona
Arizona screens every newborn for sickle cell disease, yet the state's true prevalence is only now being formally counted. Below are the best available Arizona figures — modeled estimates are clearly labeled, and an official count is forthcoming from Arizona's Sickle Cell Data Collection program.
500–1,000
Arizonans living with sickle cell disease
Modeled estimate
Where this number comes from
Modeled estimate. CDC estimates ~100,000 Americans live with SCD; that rate is applied to Arizona's population and Black/African American share. An official count is forthcoming from the AZ Sickle Cell Data Collection (SCDC) program.Source: CDC — Data & Statistics · CDC SCDC
80,000+
Arizona newborns screened every year
Verified
Where this number comes from
Verified. Arizona screens every baby born in the state (~78,000–80,000 births/year); sickle cell disease is part of the universal newborn screening panel.Source: AZDHS — Newborn Screening
~12–16
New SCD births in Arizona each year
Modeled estimate
Where this number comes from
Modeled estimate. CDC: about 1 in 365 Black or African American newborns is born with SCD (Sickle Cell Data Collection 2016–2020: ~1 in 350). Applied to Arizona's Black newborn births.Source: CDC MMWR 73(12), 2024
45,000–65,000
Arizonans carrying sickle cell trait
Modeled estimate
Where this number comes from
Modeled estimate. CDC: about 1 in 13 Black or African American babies is born with sickle cell trait. Applied to Arizona demographics; 477 trait-positive AZ newborns recorded in 2010.Source: CDC — Data & Statistics · AZ Newborn Screening (2010)
Coach Carla's Tip — Modeled estimate vs. verified?
A verified number comes straight from an official count — like the 80,000+ babies Arizona screens every year. A modeled estimate is our best projection: we take trusted national CDC rates and apply them to Arizona's population while we wait for the state's official Sickle Cell Data Collection count. That's why some figures are shown as ranges (like 500–1,000) — they're careful estimates, clearly labeled, not guesses.
National context — the rates that apply to Arizona births
Where this number comes from
CDC national context. ~100,000 Americans live with SCD; more than 90% Black/African American. 1 in 365 Black newborns is born with SCD; 1 in 13 carries the trait. Universal newborn screening in all 50 states since 2006.Source: CDC — Data & Statistics on Sickle Cell Disease
~100,000Americans living with SCD; more than 90% Black/African American (CDC).
1 in 365Black newborns is born with sickle cell disease (CDC).
1 in 13Black newborns carries sickle cell trait (CDC).
Since 2006Universal newborn screening for SCD in all 50 states.
