In 3 years: 14M children screened for anemia, dwarfism, obesity

CAIRO – 11 September 2023: Mona Hamdy, member of the presidential initiative for screening children for anemia, dwarfism, and obesity, stated Monday that 14 million children - studying at 30,000 schools - had been tested over the past three years.   

Hamdy pointed out that many cases of anemia had been treated, and that the most common type is iron-deficiency anemia, mainly caused by malnutrition. One of the other types diagnosed is thalassaemia.

In a similar context, the Ministry of Health and Population announced in June that a hearing survey hds been conducted among 4.906 million children as part of a presidential initiative for early detection and treatment of hearing loss and impairment for newborns.

The initiative was launched in September 2019. A total of 272,988 children would be re-examined, a week after the first screening at the same unit, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said.
 

Around 31,865 children were sent after the second test to hospitals and referral centers nationwide for higher evaluation and the start of medical treatment or the installation of a hearing aid or the transfer of the child for cochlear implant in accordance to his/her condition, the spokesman said.