Hyderabad, June 22 -- A study conducted among children living in urban slums of Hyderabad has found that early screening for anaemia followed by timely iron-folic acid supplementation can reduce childhood anaemia by nearly 80 per cent, even as adding probiotics to the treatment confers no additional benefit.

The research, carried out by scientists at the city-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lends scientific weight to India's Anaemia-Mukt Bharat programme and its "screen and treat" approach.

Screening 825 under-5 children

Researchers screened 825 under-five children from urban slums and pre-primary schools in Hyderabad, of whom 248 children aged 13-57 mon...