Infantile anemia is a growing public health problem in Peru. According to the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, in 2017 around 43.3% of children between 6 and 36 months of age suffered from anemia. This means that 6 out of 10 children have this health problem. Despite the fact that the country has shown unique projects to reduce child malnutrition, anemia levels almost remain unchanged.
The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Gustavo Rosell reported that in the span of four years, the percentage of anemia in children in Peru has not decreased. “Unfortunately, in these four years, we have not reduced anemia. We mainly measure anemia in children between 6 and 35 months, who are the most vulnerable because their brain is growing and developing ”.
The presence of anemia causes great concern in all areas and levels of health. Physiologically, its main consequences are in the development of children at the cognitive, motor, emotional, social, and growth levels during their first years of life. When observing the prevalence of anemia by region, it clearly represented that the highest percentages are found in the most vulnerable regions. Puno ranks first, with 75.9% of infants with anemia, after Loreto (61.5%), Ucayali (59.1%), Pasco (58.0%), Madre de Dios (57.3% ), Cusco (55.3%) and Huancavelica and Apurímac (54%).
Due to the fact that the anemia index has not decreased, the Deputy Minister of Public Health affirmed that the government is looking forward to new strategies to reach, not only children but also their entire community, in order to reduce the percentage of anemia at the national level.
With ambition, Rosell informs “We hope to reduce between four or five percentage points, which means 50 thousand fewer children with anemia. It is an ambitious goal to reach 2021 ”.
Bibliography
Lopez, Milton. “ONU: ‘El 50% De Las Causas De Anemia En El Perú Son Por Déficit De Hierro.’” Rpp.pe, 29 Nov. 2018,
Gestión, Redacción. “En Cuatro Años No Ha Disminuido La Anemia En Perú, Alerta El Minsa.” Gestión, Gestión, 10 Nov. 2019,
Colegio Medico del Peru, Comite de Politicas de Salud
Documento Técnico, Plan Nacional para la Reducción de la Anemia Infantil, y la Desnutrición Crónica Infantil en el Perú: 2017 - 2021, Ministerio de Salud
Plan Multisectorial de Lucha Contra la Anemia