Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 30: Even though the state government has undertaken several measures to provide nutritious food, Karnataka has witnessed a marked increase in the number of children and women who are suffering from anaemia and health problems associated with that condition.

This increase among the women has registered a 48 percent hike whereas among the children aged between six months and 59 months, the increase is as high as 66 percent.

In the recent National Family Health Survey - 5, as compared to 2015-16, the number of children facing anaemia has reached five percent and that of women, to 3 percent.

The doctors say that lack of health facilities is a major factor for this problem. This problem can have harmful effects on the concentration of the children, expose them to greater risks of infections and stunt their growth. This was said by Dr Sylvia Karpagam, public health doctor and researcher.

Usually, children of Dalits and aborigines show slow learning. If these class of people suffer from anaemia, the children will face more complex problems, Dr Sylvia says. 62.8 percent urban children and 67.1 percent rural children suffer from this condition. It is possible to wriggle out of this problem with integrated system of treatments, the doctors feel.

Anaemia can lead to pre-birth and post delivery deaths of the mothers. Weakness, slump in physical and mental ability, premature delivery, delivery of low weight babies etc might be caused.

At the global level, shortage of iron is estimated to be the reason for anaemia. Long term infections, shortage of nutrition, malaria, tapeworms, hookworms and hereditary causes might give rise to these conditions. Dr Hema Diwakar, president of the Well Woman Healthcare International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, says that rather than giving iron, individuals have to be assessed and treated in an integrated fashion.