Burden of nutritional anaemia in Africa: A Review
The condition of anaemia occurs when the concentration of haemoglobin which is needed to carry oxygen in the bodyis low.Nutritional anaemia is a pathological condition in which there is a drop in haemoglobin concentration due todeficiency in nutrients including iron, folic acid and vitamins A, B12 and C required for blood formation. While irondeficiency anaemia is the most prevalent type and is generally treatable with dietary adjustments, other types ofanaemia necessitate medical interventions that could be more difficult to obtain. For the purpose of developing publichealth initiatives, understanding the burden and epidemiology of this issue, and providing people with clinical carethroughout their lives, accurate characterization of anaemia is essential.Prioritization and prevention control strategiesmust be put in place to reduce the prevalence of nutritional anaemia especially in African countries where theprevalence rates are high. Practical approaches including enhancing dietary diversity and infant feeding practices,improving water sanitation and hygiene, disease control and dietary supplementation of iron, folic acid and vitaminscould aid eliminate nutritional anaemia in Africa.