The State Government will conduct anaemia screening tests for girls and boys in the 10-19 age group as part of its anaemia control and prevention programme Campaign-12.
The year-long Campaign-12, being implemented by the Women and Child Development Department in association with the Health Department, is aimed at increasing haemoglobin levels in blood to 12.
The screening tests, to be held in connection with the 46th anniversary of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), will be held till October 16 to prevent anaemia among adolescents.
Ahead of the tests, ICDS supervisors will familiarise anganwadi workers with an anaemia check-list and guidelines for conducting the tests. The check-lists will have questions for children to answer and will be used for a screening. The workers will conduct awareness programmes for children who have been found to have symptoms of anaemia by making home visits.
The children will be referred to the government’s nutrition clinics for further interventions. COVID-19 protocols have to be adhered to strictly when they reach the clinics.
After the counselling, if need be, child development project officers (CDPO) have to arrange for use of haematometers supplied to nutrition clinics to test haemoglobin levels of the children. They have to consolidate a report at the project level, and submit it to programme officers for district-level consolidation.
Children whose haemoglobin is less than 12 should be referred to primary or community health centres or Ayush centres and their condition followed-up through the anganwadi workers.
