Prevalence of Severe Anemia among Severe Acute Malnourished Children in the 6-59 Months Age Group at the CRENI of the Aguié District Hospital

Anemia among children remains a critical public health issue whether in industrialized or developing countries. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of severe anemia among children in the 6-59 months age group hospitalized at the CRENI of the Aguié district hospital. This is a retrospective and descriptive study over a 12-month period on 240 severely malnourished children hospitalized with severe anemia. Our study showed that 240 children had severe anemia, that is to say a prevalence of 10.30%, which was more frequent among children under 24 months of age. Severe anemia was associated with malaria in 74.16% and occurred more in the last quarter of the year, that is to say 81%. We had a successful treatment rate of 92.5% and 7.5% of deaths. There is a pressing need to strengthen the community approach on nutritional advice and early attendance at healthcare facilities to avoid worsening of diseases among children.