In a small African village, 6% of babies are born with sickle-cell anemia, which is due to the inheritance of two recessive alleles for the hemoglobin gene.
In a small African village, the occurrence of sickle-cell anemia, a genetic disorder, is linked to the inheritance of specific alleles for the hemoglobin gene. The condition is caused by a recessive allele, and individuals must inherit two copies of this recessive allele—one from each parent—to manifest the symptoms of sickle-cell anemia. The frequency of sickle-cell anemia in the village is determined by the percentage of individuals who inherit the recessive alleles from both parents.
Given that 6% of babies in the village are born with sickle-cell anemia, it implies that the carrier frequency of the recessive allele is higher in the population. The presence of carriers (heterozygous individuals with one normal allele and one recessive allele) contributes to the overall occurrence of the disorder. This scenario is often associated with regions where malaria is prevalent, as individuals with one copy of the recessive allele for sickle-cell anemia exhibit increased resistance to malaria, providing a selective advantage in these areas.