Childhood iron-folic acid supplementation in India for mild-to-moderate anaemia

The Global Nutrition Target for anaemia has not been met by any country despite seemingly adequate preventive and therapeutic policies.1 For children aged 6–59 months old with anaemia, the latter therapeutic policy in India is primarily aimed at correcting iron deficiency, through the daily supplementation of iron (3 mg/kg per day), and 100 μg folic acid for 2 months, for mild and moderate anaemia.2 However, this approach has not been effective in anaemia reduction. WHO reports that, globally, only 42% of anaemia cases in 6–59 month-old children are amenable to iron supplementation.