Coimbatore: In what comes as a wake-up call for the health administrators in Tamil Nadu, a whopping 55.4 per cent of women between 15 and 49 years of age have been found to be anaemic in Tamil Nadu. Every 55 out of 100 women in Tamil Nadu are anaemic, according to the latest National Family Health Survey NFHS) report- 2015. It is a 3.4 per cent increase in incidence of anaemia over the last 10 years, says the report.
Despite the government distributing iron and folic acid supplements to pregnant women, the prevalence of anaemia has only gone up. Tamil Nadu’s anaemia record fares poorer than Maharashtra and Uttarakhand where the prevalence hovers around only 45 per cent. States like Haryana and West Bengal fare worse with over 60 per cent anemic women.
Releasing the state-wise figures in Parliament on Tuesday, the Union health minister said that in India, the preva lence of anaemia, among women is about 55.3 per cent.The government has 184 high priority districts for improving maternal health and nutrition to combat the public health challenged posed by anaemia, the minister said.
