According to warnings from UN agencies and the regional socio-economic bloc SAARC, an additional 18 million cases are projected by 2030 as part of a health crisis that disproportionately affects the poorest women and girls.

“When half of all girls and women in South Asia suffer from anaemia, it is not just a health problem: it is a sign that systems are failing,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, regional director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),

The analysis, in which UNICEF and SAARC participated, besides , the World Health Organization (WHO), states that the disease contributes to 40 per cent of low birth weight cases worldwide and affects child growth and learning, families living in poverty.

Anemia costs southern Asia about $32.5 billion a year, perpetuating cycles of poverty and bad health, according to the document.

Despite the difficult situation, the report also reflects progress and actions taken by countries in the area to eradicate the disease, including strengthening health systems, Scaling up nutrition programmes and reaching out to female teenagers and women from marginalized communities.

The warning issued this Wednesday by UNICEF, WHO and the SAARC bloc is a “clear call to action” to eradicate one of the “quietest but most widespread” health crises in South Asia.

abo/mem/abp