Iron Deficiency Anemia

Lesotho

Vitamin A

Liberia

Iron

Iodine


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	EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA


Anemia
Most Recent Anemia Survey -- National Micronutrient survey of 1999

	Date:	February to June 1999
	Groups/Sample Size:	708 children aged 6 to 35 months, 1,457 pregnant women aged 14 to 49 years and 199 non- pregnant women aged 14 to 45 years
	Sampling Method:	The sampling method was stratified, 2-stage cluster sampling with systematic selection (Proportional to size) of 60 clusters and 60 households per cluster ( N = 900 households)
	Estimated Anemia Prevalence: Indicators: non-pregnant women >15 years of age: Hb < 120 g/L
		pregnant women of any age: Hb < 110 g/L
		men > 15 years of age: Hb < 130 g/L
		children 6 - 60 months of age: Hb < 110 g/L
		children 5 – 11 years of age: Hb < 115 g/L
		children 12 – 14 years of age: Hb < 120 g/

Region/group*	Sample size	Population in region/group (if known)	Indicator (e.g. Hb<120g/L, <110g/L, etc.)	Prevalence in sample %

Children 6 to 35 months	708			86.7
Pregnant women aged 14 to 49 years	199			62.1
Non-pregnant women aged 14 to 45 years	1,457			50.0




	POLICY AND LEGISLATION

Legislation on IDA


	Guinea does not have a policy to address iron deficiency, but there are guidelines available.
	There is no legislation covering supplementation or fortification.
	There is a national policy for iron supplementation for pregnant women. There is no policy for children, but there are guidelines.
	There is no national policy for iron fortification programs, nor is it under consideration.


Government Agency to Address IDD
	The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. This agencies function is coordination, monitoring and policy guidance.
	Contact information: BOX 9009-1000-Monrovia-10 Liberia



	PROGRAM DATA


Supplementation
Program Description - Women
	There is no organized national programme for iron supplementation per say but there is supplementation ongoing for pregnant women and adolescent girls.
	The type of supplements are iron/folate tablets containing 60mg iron. Distribution is through reproductive health services
	Intended frequency: pregnant women = twice daily starting 3 months of gestation to 3 months post- partum and. adolescent girls = twice weekly for each12 -month period.
	Information available regarding numbers of tablets is incomplete owing to problems with data management.

Program Description - Children
	There is no national programme for children but supplementation is done in health facilities based on need.
	The target group is children malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, children ill with malaria, acute respiratory infections and the other common childhood illnesses.
	The number of children targeted is 950,000 children.
	Type of supplement: Iron/folate tablets, iron elixir, folic acid tablets
	Distribution: Via under-five clinics. Plans underway to begin school-based distribution in 2003
	Intended frequency of supplementation doses: Infants 6 to 23 months =10 drops daily for 9 months, starting at age 6 months. Children 2 to 5 years = 30mg iron + 200ug folic acid tablets, one tablet, two times weekly for 18 weeks. Children 6 to 11 years = 60mg iron + 400ug folic acid tablets, one tablet each week for 12 months.

Fortification
	There is no fortification of iron.

Dietary Promotion
	Promotion of iron status is done through public education but not as a large-scale/national program.
	The activities focus on iron, iodine and vitamin A status.
	Community-based programs: Promotion for dietary change at community level is done in selected communities in an integrated manner with infant and maternal nutrition, by community health workers and Support Groups in two of the 15 counties (Bong and Nimba). Health professionals, County Health Teams and clinics run these programs.


Other Programs

There is a national Malaria control Programme in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that formulates policies and guidelines, co-ordinates and monitors activities such as training, public education, preventive/curative care and community-based distribution of insecticide treated nets. The latter is on a small scale.



	MONITORING

Anemia

Current monitoring activities for iron deficiency anemia: No current monitoring activities.



	PROGRAM RESOURCES

Donor and Implementing Agencies

Implementing Agency	Description of Activities
Implementing Agency	Description of Activities
National/State governments	Training, development of guidelines, research, public education, distribution of bed nets, iron/folate supplementation
External agencies
UNICEF	Survey, Provision of bed nets and insecticide, finance and materials for training and supplementation, provision of iron/folate tablets, folic acid and elixir
WHO	Development of programme, development of training and educational materials, training, policy guidance, research, provision of iron/folate
NGOs	Community-based distribution of bed nets and treatment of malaria

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA

POLICY AND LEGISLATION

PROGRAM DATA