By Thula Chisamba

Rumphi, January 17, Mana: Rumphi District Principal Nutrition and HIV/AIDs officer, Christopher Chirwa, has expressed concern over the low uptake of iron and folic acid supplements (IFAS) among adolescent girls in the district.

In an interview on Thursday, Chirwa described the status quo as alarming and a cause of serious concern. 

 "As of now, we have only 2,978 adolescents out of the total target of 4,789 taking iron and folic acid supplements.

"These figures are alarmingly low and it’s a scenario that causes serious concerns given the health implications that result from not taking the tablets, especially among adolescent girls,” said Chirwa.

Chirwa added that myths and misconceptions associated with IFAS are also contributing to the low uptake of the tablets among adolescent girls in the district among others.

In an attempt to address the challenges, the Department of Nutrition from the Ministry of Health has dispatched a team to conduct a rapid qualitative assessment in the district.

The assessment which is scheduled to last for four days, aims at identifying the underlying causes of the low uptake and inform interventions to improve the uptake of supplements in the district by March 31 this year.

One of the team members, Bwanalori Mwamlima said during a debriefing session at Rumphi District Hospital on Thursday that the assessment will collect data from health officials and adolescent girls in areas where IFAS is being rolled-out in the district.

The assessment by the Department of Nutrition, according to Mwamlima, is expected to provide valuable insights into the challenges affecting the uptake of iron and folic acid supplements among girls in the district.

“The findings will inform interventions to improve the uptake of supplements and prevent anemia among adolescents in Rumphi,” said Mwamlima.

Adolescent girls are more vulnerable to iron deficiencies and anemia due to increased requirement of iron because of, among other things, reproductive maturation and cognitive transformations which demands high macro and micro-nutrients including iron.

Iron and folic acid supplements help to prevent anemia, a serious health complication which leads to, among other problems, impaired cognitive function among girls within the ages of 10 to 19.

According to World Health Organization, Anemia is a widespread global health problem, affecting approximately 1.6 billion individuals, with 50% of cases attributed to iron deficiency.