Anaemia Mukt Bharat: India’s Fight Against Anaemia

Context: According to NHFS-5, 67.1% of children and 59.1% of adolescent girls in India are anaemic.

About Anaemia

• Anaemia is a blood disorder that occurs when the body doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin.
• This prevents the body from delivering enough oxygen to organs and tissues.
• Vulnerable Population: Children under 5 years of age, menstruating adolescent girls, women and pregnant and postpartum women.

Causes of Anaemia

• Iron-Deficiency Anaemia: Only 9% of anaemic cases could be attributed to iron deficiency.
• Unknown Causes: 22% of cases were linked to unmeasured or unknown factors, which could include:
  • Deficiencies in Vitamin B12 or folate.
  • Hemoglobinopathies (genetic disorders affecting haemoglobin).
  • Undetected blood loss.
  • Unhygienic environments or air pollution.

Anaemia Mukt Bharat

Anaemia Mukt Bharat was launched in 2018 with a 6x6x6 strategy under which there are six interventions to reduce the prevalence of anaemia (nutritional and non-nutritional) in six age groups.

Manage Anaemia before Pregnancy

Anaemia, especially Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA), continues to be a silent yet deadly health issue among women of reproductive age in India. Over 57% of women in this demographic are anaemic, often entering pregnancy with dangerously low haemoglobin levels. This severely affects maternal and perinatal health outcomes.

Challenges

• Late Detection: Anaemia is often undiagnosed before conception, leading to complications like pre-eclampsia, low birth weight, postpartum haemorrhage, and preterm births.
• Over-reliance on Oral IFA: Oral Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation is poorly absorbed, causes gastrointestinal issues, and has low adherence, especially during pregnancy.
• Neglect of Other Causes of Anaemia: Vitamin B12 deficiency (affecting ~49% of women), thyroid disorders, and gestational diabetes often go unscreened, reducing the efficacy of IFA-only treatments.
• Lack of Focus on Preconception Health: Health policies are mostly pregnancy-centric rather than pre-pregnancy-focused.
• Social Disregard for Preconception Care: Preconception check-ups are not culturally or systemically emphasised, leading to missed opportunities for early interventions.

Solutions

• Reframe Maternal Health: Move from pregnancy-based care to preconception-based care as a preventive strategy.
• Adopt Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose (IV FCM): IV FCM bypasses absorption issues and rapidly restores haemoglobin — a game-changer for moderate to severe anaemia.
• Combined Nutrient Therapy: Use injectable Vitamin B12 + Folate + IV Iron for holistic and refractory anaemia treatment.
• Comprehensive Preconception Screening: Include thyroid function, blood sugar, and Vitamin B12 in preconception check-ups.
• Strengthen Community Engagement: Empower ASHA and Anganwadi workers to promote preconception health in existing maternal programs.
• Policy and Behavioural Shifts: Normalise preconception care just like antenatal care.
  • Encourage families to support early health check-ups.

Sharing is caring!