Strap: Screening revealed 42,785 students, 10,006 anganwadi children and 10,535 pregnant women suffering from the condition or 635 expectant mothers suffering from severe anaemia, raising fresh maternal health concernsBallari: More than 42,000 school and college students, nearly 10,000 children and over 10,000 pregnant women in Ballari district are suffering from anaemia despite multiple govt nutrition and health programmes aimed at combating the condition.Data collected under the Anaemia-Free Nutritious Karnataka programme for 2025-26 revealed that the condition remains widespread among students, children, pregnant women, and residents of rural areas, urban slums and migrant communities.As part of the programme, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) mobile health teams screened students in govt and aided schools and colleges across the district. Of the 1,47,101 students examined, 21,364 were found to have mild anaemia, 21,223 had moderate anaemia, and 198 were suffering from the severe form of the condition.The survey also covered children enrolled in anganwadi centres. Of the 58,194 children screened from a total enrolment of 1,04,587, as many as 7,452 had mild anaemia, 2,515 were diagnosed with moderate anaemia and 39 had severe anaemia.Health officials said the prevalence was highest among people living in rural areas, urban slums and economically weaker localities. Migrant labourers and their families were identified as particularly vulnerable groups.Anaemia has also emerged as a major concern among pregnant women. Health experts said pregnant women should ideally maintain haemoglobin levels of 12-13 grams or higher to ensure safer pregnancies and deliveries.Of the 34,419 women screened in the district, 9,900 had haemoglobin levels below 11 grams, while 635 recorded levels below 7 grams, indicating severe anaemia.District reproductive and child health (RCH) officer Dr Hanumanthappa said moderate and severe cases among children were being closely monitored. He said measures had been initiated to address the problem among pregnant women and that the department remained committed to making the district anaemia-free.The findings come against the backdrop of maternal health concerns in Ballari. Maternal deaths reported in the district in 2024 had drawn statewide attention, with anaemia identified as one of the factors contributing to childbirth-related complications.The latest report has once again underscored the scale of the district’s public health challenge, with hundreds of pregnant women found to have haemoglobin levels far below the recommended range.
