{"id":58818,"date":"2025-07-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/in-south-asia-anaemia-threatens-womens-health-and-economic-futures\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T12:00:00","slug":"in-south-asia-anaemia-threatens-womens-health-and-economic-futures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=58818","title":{"rendered":"In South Asia, anaemia threatens women\u2019s health and economic futures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The warning, issued jointly by UN agencies and the regional socio-economic bloc SAARC on Wednesday, underscores South Asia\u2019s status as the \u201cglobal epicentre\u201d of anaemia among adolescent girls and women.<\/p>\n<p>An estimated 259 million already suffer from the condition, which impairs the body\u2019s ability to carry oxygen, contributing to chronic fatigue, poor maternal outcomes, and reduced educational and economic participation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>This is a clarion call for action<\/strong>,\u201d said Sanjay Wijesekera, Regional Director for the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF), which together with the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and SAARC prepared the analysis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>When half of all adolescent girls and women in South Asia are anaemic, it is not only a health issue \u2013 it is a signal that systems are failing them.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A far-reaching but preventable condition<\/h2>\n<p>Anaemia doesn\u2019t just affect women and girls \u2013 it contributes to 40% of the world\u2019s low birth weight cases and affects child growth and learning, particularly in poorer households.<\/p>\n<p>The economic toll is staggering: <strong>anaemia costs South Asia an estimated $32.5 billion annually, perpetuating cycles of poverty and poor health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, the condition is preventable and treatable. Proven solutions include iron and folic acid supplementation, iron- and vitamin-rich diets, better sanitation and infection control, and stronger maternal health services.<\/p>\n<p>Experts stress that multi-sector collaboration is critical for sustained progress.<\/p>\n<div class=\"context-un_news_full_width_credit_caption type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-un-news-full-width-credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-thumbnail field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<\/div>\n<p>A nurse speaks to women about nutritious food in western India&#8217;s Sabarkantha district, were many women and girls suffer from iron deficiency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Integrated efforts crucial<\/h2>\n<p>In nearly every country, progress hinges on strengthening health systems, expanding nutrition programmes, and reaching adolescent girls and women in marginalised communities.<\/p>\n<p>Sri Lanka, where 18.5 per cent of women of reproductive age are anaemic, is scaling up its national nutrition initiative, focusing on the most affected districts.<\/p>\n<p>India and Pakistan are also seeing encouraging signs. In India, high-burden states are integrating iron supplementation into school and maternal care programmes. Pakistan has piloted community-based nutrition initiatives linked to reproductive health services, enabling early detection and follow-up care.<\/p>\n<p>In Bangladesh, school-based health initiatives are reaching adolescents with fortified meals and health education, coordinated across health, education, and agriculture ministries.<\/p>\n<h2>Community-driven action works<\/h2>\n<p>The Maldives and Bhutan are prioritising early prevention through childhood nutrition, food fortification, and public awareness campaigns. Though smaller in population, both are investing in anaemia surveillance and inter-ministerial collaboration.<\/p>\n<p>Nepal stands out for its equitable results: since 2016, the country has cut anaemia among women of reproductive age by 7 per cent, with larger declines in poorer areas. Its female community health volunteers are key, providing counselling and referrals in remote regions and linking vulnerable households to public services.<\/p>\n<p>Man Kumari Gurung, a public health nurse in Karnali Province, credits the achievements to a range of community-driven efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPregnant women receive eggs, chicken and nutritious food through programmes like <em>Sutkeri Poshan Koseli<\/em> (Nutrition Gift for New Mothers),\u201d she said. \u201cCash grants also help with transport to hospitals, supporting safer births and better nutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"context-un_news_full_width_credit_caption type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-un-news-full-width-credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-thumbnail field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/08-07-2025-UNICEF-Sri_Lanka.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" alt=\"A nurse checks a pregnant woman's weight and vital signs at a clinic in Galigamuwa, Sri Lanka.\" title=\"A nurse checks a pregnant woman's weight and vital signs at a clinic in Galigamuwa, Sri Lanka.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1170\" height=\"530\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>A nurse checks a pregnant woman&#8217;s weight and vital signs at a clinic in Galigamuwa, Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Everyone has a role<\/h2>\n<p>Ending anaemia requires leadership and teamwork. Governments must lead, but communities, health workers, schools, and families all play a part.<\/p>\n<p>Stronger health systems, better data, and coordinated action across sectors can help girls and women reach their full potential \u2013 building healthier communities and stronger economies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Young people and mothers are at the heart of South Asia\u2019s development goals. Ensuring that they are healthy, nourished and empowered is not just a moral imperative, it is a strategic investment in the future of our societies,<\/strong>\u201d said Md. Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/feed\/view\/en\/story\/2025\/07\/1165350\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The warning, issued jointly by UN agencies and the regional socio-economic bloc SAARC on Wednesday, underscores&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.0 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In South Asia, anaemia threatens women\u2019s health and economic futures - Gulf Times | News by the minute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/feed\/view\/en\/story\/2025\/07\/1165350\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In South Asia, anaemia threatens women\u2019s health and economic futures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gulf News| UAE&#039;s Largest News aggregator site\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/feed\/view\/en\/story\/2025\/07\/1165350\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gulf Times | News by the minute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-08T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752036693_image1170x530cropped.avif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1170\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"530\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In South Asia, anaemia threatens women\u2019s health and economic futures - 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