An experimental program for neonatal detection of sickle cell disease (SCD) was performed in France in 1990. Our data indicated a high prevalence of SCD, one patient in 1,250 newborns tested. The French national program for neonatal screening for SCD was set up in 1995 by the Association Française pour le Dépistage et la Prévention des Handicaps de l'Enfant (AFDPHE). This is not a systematic program, but only targeted at newborns at risk for SCD.