Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) initiated production of an orange-flavored syrup to combat and prevent anemia. The aim is to make the remedy more acceptable to children.
Specialists estimate that 50-70% of Brazilian children under the age of 2 suffer from anemia. This proportion reaches 80% in the Northeast region.
According to Fiocruz researcher Grace Mafra, anemia is caused by a lack of iron in the organism, which harms the child’s development.
She says that the syrup will be used in a national campaign that the Ministry of Health plans to conduct this year to combat anemia.
“The syrup was developed for this national anti-anemia campaign, which is one of a series of steps the government will adopt to prevent the disease.
“The actions range from iron supplements during the mother’s pregnancy to dietary corrections for children to avoid the risk of contracting the disease,” she informs.
The syrup, which costs US$ 0.83 (2 reais) per 100-milliliter vial, will only be distributed at public health posts and hospitals.
According to the researcher, this is less than the cost of the medications available on the market.
ABr