Are Infants Less than 6 Months of Age a Neglected Group for Anemia Prevention in Low-Income Countries?
Anemia is a major public health problem that affects mainly children, predominantly in low-income countries and most often due to iron deficiency (ID). Administration of iron supplements to prevent and treat ID anemia in malaria endemic areas has been controversial for decades; however, recent World...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Estado: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Data de publicação: | 2017 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositório: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:2445/119072 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/119072 |
| Access Level: | Acceso aberto |
| Palavra-chave: | Anèmia Infants nadons Anemia Newborn infants |
| Resumo: | Anemia is a major public health problem that affects mainly children, predominantly in low-income countries and most often due to iron deficiency (ID). Administration of iron supplements to prevent and treat ID anemia in malaria endemic areas has been controversial for decades; however, recent World Health Organization guidelines recommend universal iron supplementation for children in highly prevalent anemia settings, including those where malaria is endemic. However, infants younger than 6 months of age have been exempted from this recommendation because ID is not considered prevalent at this age and because of assumptions-without evidence-that they are protected from ID through breast milk. To achieve full impact of anemia prevention targeting infants less than 6 months of age who are at highest risk of ID, operational studies that conclusively demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of delivering iron supplements to young infants in settings with a high burden of infectious diseases, including malaria, are needed. |
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