The Challenges in Eradication of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Developing Countries

Anemia causes losses of billions of dollars annually in terms of productivity among working women of the reproductive age; it affects both their cognitive and physical performance. In developing countries where many manual labor jobs exist, an iron supplementation program is the first choice for eradicating anemia. However, this program cannot sufficiently meet reduction targets, and this created a polemic among health experts. The purpose of this study was to explore how iron deficiency anemia may be eradicated in developing countries. The results showed that the main challenges for iron anemia deficiency eradication are as follows: low adherence, infection, hidden symptoms, comorbidities from other non-communicable diseases, micronutrient deficiencies, and lack of program monitoring. In terms of low adherence, the side effects of iron supplements become a major factor in taking medication. Conversely, parasites and worms cause most of the high infection cases. Poor access to facilities of healthcare centers are becoming the main factor for the absence of anemia eradication program evaluation in remote areas of developing countries. Therefore, breakthroughs are expected to be developed to reduce anemia significantly. These include increasing patient visits to a healthcare center, diagnosing anemia accurately and intensively, prioritizing infection control, fortifying food, and monitoring iron side effects.