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Nearly half of Somali women, children have anaemia

[Somalia] WFP says drought is forcing desperate women and children to walk for long distances to get assistance at feeding centres in Somalia, Baidoa. IRIN
    NAIROBI
    Nearly half of all women and children in Somalia have anaemia and Vitamin A deficiency, a recent study indicates.

    The study - conducted by the Food Security Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU-Somalia) in conjunction with the UN Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and under the technical leadership of the Institute of Child Health, University of London - said: "Somali women and children are suffering from shocking levels of anaemia and Vitamin A deficiencies."

    In a statement on 6 May FSNAU-Somalia said the study classified "50 percent of all women, 30 percent of all school-aged children and 60 percent of children under five as anaemic".

    According to the study, anaemia in Somalia is caused by a range of factors, including frequent exposure to diseases, which are often untreated, and the consumption of predominantly cereal-based diets, which lack key vitamins and minerals.

    ah/cb

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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