More than half of adolescent girls, women in India are anaemic

A national survey has found that more than half of adolescent girls and women, including those who are pregnant, are anaemic in the country, with the figure touching an alarming 70 per cent in some states.
Also, 30.2 per cent of adolescent boys across the country were found to be anaemic.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today that in some states the percentage of women suffering from anaemia is nearing 70 per cent.
Azad said as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3), 55.8 per cent of adolescent girls, 55.3 per cent of all women 15-49 years, 56.2 per cent of married women and 58.7 per cent of pregnant women are anaemic in the country.

Surveys conducted by Directorate General of Health Services, ICMR, Health Institutions and State Health Directorates found that out of 365 districts surveyed in all 35 States and UTs, 303 districts are endemic - where the prevalence of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) is more than 10 per cent.
However, as regards to Iodine Deficiency Disorders, the visible Goitre in the entire country is reduced significantly as a result of consumption of iodised salt under centrally assisted National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control programme (NIDDCP), he said.

As per the report on National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) under the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad (ICMR) which conducts surveys in rural areas of nine States, prevalence of night blindness that indicates Vitamin A deficiency in children has reduced from 1.1 pc in 2001 to 0.2 pc in 2006.

The prevalence of Bitot's Spot (sign of vitamin A deficiency) in children has also decreased from 0.7 pc to 0.6 pc.
The Minister listed steps being initiated to address the issue of micro-nutrient disorders under the National Rural Health Mission.