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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Rise in number of anaemics catches PMO's attention by Kounteya Sinha

Rise in number of anaemics catches PMO's attention by Kounteya Sinha

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published Published on Feb 24, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 24, 2011
India's high burden of anaemia has now got the Prime Minister's Office seriously concerned.

With the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) finding the prevalence of anaemia to be 80% in children, 70% in pregnant women and 24% in adult men, the PMO called a meeting on Thursday with top officials from the Planning Commission, ministries of health and women and child development, the National Institute of Nutrition and independent experts on nutrition to decide on whether to introduce double fortified iodized salt with iron.

The meeting was, however, postponed at the last minute and would now be held in a few days. But experts say "it's a good sign that the PMO is taking interest in this serious problem." The meeting was called to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having salt double fortified with both iodine and iron, with nutritional experts expected to put on the table hard scientific evidence supporting or disagreeing with the PMO's suggestion of trying out double fortified salt with iodine and iron.

Anaemia among children (6-59 months) is highest in Bihar (78%), Madhya Pradesh (74.1%), Uttar Pradesh (73.9%), Haryana (72.3%), Chhattisgarh (71.2%) and Jharkhand (70.3%).

Some say there is at present a dearth of solid evidence to back the introduction of double fortified salt containing iron and exactly how much of it will be absorbed by the human body when taken with salt.

"Since salt is consumed by everybody everyday, the meeting which will take place soon, will look at whether to introduce double fortified salt with iron in it and if yes, whether to make its availability mandatory. At present anaemia among children, adolescent girls and pregnant women is acute," sources said.

Critics, however, say the quantity of salt we consume is so minimal that even if you double fortify it with iron, the quantity of iron absorbed by our body will be hardly beneficial. Adding iron to iodised salt sounds simple, but a number of chemical, technical and organoleptic issues can arise and "we still don't know whether they together would react".

Others say that to cure anaemia, we need five things — iron, folic acid, B12, Vitamin C and proteins, the first four being micronutrients. The normal Indian diet including cereals and green leafy vegetables are high on iron.

The Times of India, 25 February, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rise-in-number-of-anaemics-catches-PMOs-attention/articleshow/7567104.cms


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