Boma Achenimie The World Health Organization (WHO) have revealed that anaemia affects over 269 million young children and 571 million women globally, making it a severe public health issue.
Anaemia is a condition where there are either too few red blood cells or too little haemoglobin in them.
The capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues will be reduced if you have insufficient amounts of haemoglobin, too few or malformed red blood cells, or both.
This causes symptoms like weakness, exhaustion, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath, among others. Age, sex, elevation of habitation, smoking habits, and pregnancy status all affect the ideal haemoglobin concentration needed to meet physiological needs.
Inadequate diets, poor nutrition absorption, infections, inflammation, chronic diseases, gynaecological and obstetric problems, and genetic red blood cell disorders can all contribute to anaemia.
Iron deficiency is the most typical nutritional cause of anaemia, while deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12, and A are also significant contributors.
According to a Nigerian study published on Science Direct in 2022 with the title “Individual, household, and area predictors of anaemia among children aged 6-59 months in Nigeria,” the prevalence of anaemia among children in Nigeria between the ages of 6 and 59 months was 68.1%.
Jigawa State came in second with 81 per cent, and Zamfara State had the highest incidence at 84 per cent. 53 per cent was the lowest recorded in Lagos and Kaduna states.
WHO standard classification of anaemia prevalence, every state in Nigeria has a severe anaemia status among children aged 6-59 months.
Also, according to researchers led by Phillip Obasohan at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom, and the Department of Liberal Studies, College of Administrative and Business Studies, Niger State Polytechnic, Bida.
“This study has revealed the enormous severity of anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in Nigeria. The status of under-five years of anaemia in Nigeria continues to increase. This is an indication of a serious public health problem in the country.
The consequences of this could be daunting, putting the lives of this young generation at risk of mental, reduced cognitive development, poor social, academic and working inability as they grow older,” the researchers said.
They said to address anaemia among children under-five years of age in Nigeria, a multidimensional approach is required, including research to establish how the contributing factors are distributed across the population and identify the at-risk population groups.
Meanwhile, WHO launched its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia during the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from May 8 to May 11, 2023.
WHO urges countries to accelerate action to halve anaemia prevalence in women of reproductive age by 2025, noting that progress on reducing anaemia has been slow and the world is not on track to reach the global target.
In 2019, anaemia affected 40 per cent of children between six months and five years of age, 37 per cent of pregnant women, and 30 per cent of women 15–49 years of age. It is most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.
Anaemia increases the risk of infections and death, impairs cognitive performance, and causes extreme fatigue, poor pregnancy outcomes, loss of earnings, and poor growth and development. It is a strong indicator of overall health.
“Most work on addressing anaemia has been focused on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency,” says the Director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, Francesco Branca. “However, anaemia is a complex condition with multiple causes – including other nutritional deficiencies, infections, inflammation, gynaecological and obstetric conditions, and inherited red blood cell disorders.”
The new paradigm outlines strategies for addressing the primary risk factors, direct causes, and widespread societal injustices that underlie anaemia. It outlines important action areas to increase the coverage and adoption of interventions and describes the essential comprehensive approach that brings together many sectors and players.
The framework also suggests activities that other societal stakeholders can take, while acknowledging that the health sector continues to be the primary one for providing many of the suggested treatments.
Governments, civic society, academics, researchers, funding organizations, global organizations, and the media are a few of these. Each must play a specific part in lowering anaemia and maintaining people’s health.
