Anemia, a ‘silent killer’ among women in India: India has among the highest number of cases of anemia in the world. Indian
Council of Medical Research and District Level Household Surveys
have shown that prevalence of anemia is very high (ranging between
80->90%) in preschool children, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent
girls. Low birth weight infants, young children and women of
childbearing age are particularly at risk of anemia. Anemia begins in
childhood, worsens during adolescence in girls and gets aggravated during
pregnancy.
Adolescent girls, who constitute a sizable segment of its population form
a vulnerable group and are at a greater risk of morbidity and mortality. It
is the shaping period of life when maximum amount of physical, psychological
and behavioural changes take place. This is a vulnerable period in
the human life cycle for the development of nutritional anemia.
We organised haemoglobin checks for adolescent girls in local villages and arranged for trained lab technicians to come and administer the tests. None of the girls had normal haemoglobin levels. All of the girls received advice and were referred to the government hospital and local village health centres for treatment and nutritional support.
