Tamil Nadu gears up to assess anaemia in students

The statehealth departmentwill send its doctors, nurses and Health staff to schools and colleges to tackle one of the biggest public health problems among teens inTamil Naduanaemia. Among adolescents, nearly half the girls and a quarter of boys suffer from iron deficiency, limiting their development, increasing risks of infections and decreasing physical and mental fitness.

The state will hold more than 25,000 health camps in schools and colleges along with more than 2,127 primary health centres to measure the health status, particularly anaemia, of more than 1.08 crore students.

Data from the fifth edition of the National family health survey (2020 – 2021) showed that 52.9% of adolescent girls and 24.6% among adolescent boys have anaemia. “The aim of this screening is to make Nadu an anaemia-free state. By doing this, we anticipate a gradual decrease in maternal and infant mortality rates in the years to come.