VIRUDHUNAGAR: District collector VP Jeyaseelan launched phase 2 of the Irumbu Penmani scheme, which aims to combat anaemia in adolescent girls by providing nutrition kits, on Thursday. According to the National Family Health Survey 2021, anaemia prevalence was found to be the highest among women aged between 12 to 45 years. In the Virudhunagar district, the prevalence of anaemia was found to be 55%.
In order to address iron deficiency in anaemic pregnant women, Irumbu Penmani was launched by the district administration in 2021 and nutritional kits were distributed to them by the public health department. During the launch of its second phase, the collector distributed kits to 50 anaemic girls and seven pregnant women at the SBK Higher Secondary School near Arupukottai.
"In the second phase of the scheme, 43,755 girls studying in classes 8 to 11 at government and government-aided schools were screened for anaemia. Among them, 18,677 were found to be anaemic," said Jeyaseelan.
He further added that anaemic girls were treated at the nearby primary health centres and that 1,182 adolescent girls with severe anaemia would be treated through District Early Intervention Centers (DEIC). "Nutrition kits would be distributed to the parents of the girls. A total of three kits, one each month, would be provided for three months. At the end of the third month, all 1,182 girls will be screened to check their haemoglobin level," explained the collector.