Download PDF - Field Exchange - Emergency Nutrition Network

Five cross-sectional surveys were conductedin refugee camps in north and eastAfrica between 2000-2002 to assess thelevel of iron deficiency anaemia and vitaminA deficiency in populations dependenton long-term international food aidand humanitarian assistance. Althoughthere has been much information onmicronutrient deficiency outbreaks likescurvy, pellagra and beri-beri amongstrefugees, there has been very little informationpublished on the prevalence of themore widely prevalent deficiencies ofiron, vitamin A and iodine.Although there were various methodologicalissues around interpretation ofthe findings, e.g. issues of age recall mayaffect estimates of age-specific anaemiawhile recall bias may have affected estimatesof vitamin A capsule coverage, theoverall findings give enormous cause forconcern.Study findingsThe prevalence of anaemia in children[haemoglobin (Hb) 60% affected in 3 of five camps. Irondeficiency [serum transferring receptor(sTfR) >8.5 mg/L] was also high, rangingfrom 23 to 75% (this measure is used toassess iron deficiency because it is relativelyunaffected by the acute phaseresponse associated with inflammationand infection). There was also a strongecological correlation between the prevalenceof iron deficiency and anaemiaamong different camps. Although childrenwere more affected, anaemia wasalso a public health problem in adolescentsand women. While the prevalence ofanaemia in the worst affected camps compareswith findings from other refugeestudies, i.e. in Burmese and Somalirefugee children, the levels constitute aserious public health issue.Mean serum retinol in children, afteradjustment for infection status, rangedfrom 0.72 to 0.88 +/- 0.2 µmol/L in thefour camps assessed and vitamin A deficiency(