Iron deficiency anaemia--an old enemy.

Anaemia has remained a widespread public health problem in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Prevalence figures vary from a low of 17% to a high of over 70% among preschool children; from 14% to 42% among adolescents and from 11% to over 40% among women of childbearing age. Although the prevalence of anaemia has often been used as a proxy indicator for iron deficiency anaemia, this approach is not valid in settings where the etiology of anaemia is complex or unknown or where other micronutrient deficiencies of folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A can co-exist. An integrated, multifactorial and multisectoral approach has to be adopted comprising targeted interventions to provide iron supplements to especially vulnerable segments of the population, in particular pregnant women; food-based approaches to increase iron intake through food fortification and dietary diversification; and other measures combined with iron interventions where other causes of anaemia are prevalent.