Analyzing the Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Study on Children under Five at Bay Regional Hospital in Baidoa, Southwest State of Somalia

Background: Like many countries in the low-income, underdeveloped world, a large number of people in Somalia suffer from anemia, an illness that massively endangers the lives of children and pregnant women. Yet, there is paucity of reliable scholarly studies that discuss anemia and iron deficiency related diseases in the country. In particular, the district of Baidoa in the Southwest State of Somalia, shares a lot of this lack of scholarly work that commonly exists in other parts of the country. Living in a complex situation of acute poverty, and a stubborn cycle of drought, famine and floods, Baidoa has a huge number of children severely affected by malnourishment and types of anemia caused by iron deficiency. Objective: This study aims to shed light on the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among children under 5 years who visited Bay Regional Hospital for treatment in the year 2020 and their condition after undergoing treatment for the required or recommended period of time for recovery from the illness. Method: The study used quantitative case study method of observation of existing archival materials accessed at Bay Regional Hospital in Baidoa District, Southwest State of Somalia. It used data compiled on a sample size of 94 children under age 5 who were anemia patients admitted and treated in the hospital in the year 2020. Results: Of the 94 under age 5 child patients, 84% were cured, 5.4% were recorded as defaulters who absconded before completion of the prescribed treatment period, 9.6% needed special care and were referred to a specialized health institution for further treatment, while 1% succumbed to the disease. Conclusion: Although IDA is prevalent among children in Baidoa, particularly as revealed in the current study on child patients admitted at Baidoa District’s Bay Regional Hospital, the effort by parents, medical professionals, health authority, donors and other stakeholders to fight the disease is yielding laudable results. With more awareness