TIRUCHY: Anaemia is a problem common among women and it starts at a young age. It is a condition where one has low count of red blood cells or haemoglobin. If one is anaemic, the body does not get enough oxygen-rich blood, resulting in fatigue.
According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2018, anaemia affects 31.3 per cent girls aged 1-4, 11.2 per cent girls aged 5-9 and 26.4 per cent of girls aged 10-19 in Tamil Nadu.
As far as Tiruchy is concerned, the latest National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) reveals that 65 per cent of women and 60 per cent of children in the district are anaemic.
This is despite the health programmes run by the governments targeting school children. The government provides iron tablets to girls in schools regularly under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.
“Under the national iron+ initiative and anaemia mukt bharat, we are taking lot of measures. We distribute iron supplements to children aged till 19 in schools and anganwadis. We are seeing an improvement which will reflect in upcoming surveys,” said Usha Rani, District Maternal and Child Health Officer.
Also, the government provides de-worming kits to children in government hospitals. Health department officials say the reason these efforts are not able to contain anaemia is worm infestation and poor intake of food, which tablets cannot nullify.
Doctors cite poor diet as the primary cause of anaemia and opine that the government must raise awareness on the condition in schools and colleges.
“Nutritional anaemia, which is caused by imbalanced diet, is very common among children. Excess consumption of rice, processed and fatty food, very less intake of fruits and iron-rich vegetables are the common cause” said Dr Sudarshana Skanda, a paediatrician.
Anaemia affects girls more when they attain puberty.
“When anaemic girls start menstruating, it causes excessive bleeding. This leads to excessive fatigue and
tiredness. It affects their concentration too,” said Dr Mythily, HOD of the Pediatrics department at MGMGH.
Another reason cited for girls being anaemic than boys is that they are often ignored by parents, especially in rural areas.
“Parents tend to ignore girl children. They admit them to the hospital quite late. We need to raise awareness about anaemia,” said Dr Prabhakaran, HOD, Pediatric surgery, Not just anaemia, girls are also prone to Vitamin D deficiency.
The only source of vitamin D, called the sunshine hormone is exposure to sun. A sedentary lifestyle and little playtime is the reason girls have low Vitamin D, opine doctors.