WHO urges accelerated action to combat anaemia

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its first-ever comprehensive framework for reducing by half the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age by 2025.

In a statement by Mr. Francesco Branca, the Director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, on Saturday, the bloc noted that progress on reducing anemia had been slow and the world was not on track to reach the global target.

“Anemia is a serious global public health problem, affecting 571 million women and 269 million young children worldwide.

“In 2019, anemia affected 40 percent of children between six months and five years of age, 37 percent of pregnant women, and 30 percent of women between ages 15 and 49 years.

“It is most prevalent in low and middle-income countries,” Branca said.

According to the WHO, anemia 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.

This, according to the bloc, is a strong indicator of overall health.

Branca said that most work on addressing anemia has been focused on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency.

“However, anemia is a complex condition with multiple causes, including other nutritional deficiencies, infections, inflammation, gynecological and obstetric conditions, and inherited red blood cell disorders.

“All must be addressed to effectively prevent and treat anemia,” he stressed.

WHO said that the new framework had set out ways to address the direct causes, risk factors, and broad social inequities that were fundamental drivers of anemia.

It highlighted the comprehensive approach that brought together multiple sectors and actors, and laid out key action areas to improve the coverage and uptake of interventions.

“Acknowledging that health remains the predominant sector for delivering many of the recommended interventions, the framework also proposes actions that other societal stakeholders can take.

“These include governments, civil society, academia, researchers, funding agencies, international organizations and media.

“Each has its particular role to perform in reducing anaemia and keeping people healthy,” it said

According to WHO, the framework was launched during the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2023, held in Cape Town, South Africa.