Supporting Reduction of Anemia in Developing Regions in South America
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EKF Diagnostics has announced that it is supporting the reduction of anemia in developing regions of South America through the use of its point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin analyzers, as highlighted in a recent International Symposium. EKF’s Hemo Control hemoglobin analyzer has been helping the reliable screening and monitoring of anemia to fight chronic child malnutrition by South American public health programs for a number of years. In Peru, one such program has reduced chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years old from 28% to 13% since 2006.
The ongoing Peruvian program was a focus of the “International Symposium: Advances in Anemia” which focused on hemoglobin testing and malnutrition prevention organized by Diagnostica Peruana SAC. With expert presentations given by senior figure in the Peruvian Ministry of Health, Dr Juan Carlos Noguera and from Mexico’s National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, nutritionist Marti Yareli Del Monte, the Symposium discussed how chronic child malnutrition is reduced by raising awareness and scaling up health and nutrition interventions in South America. Within Peru, this is achieved via a network of nutritionists and nurses from the Ministry of Health who routinely use EKF’s robust Hemo Control analyzer in remote areas throughout the country for hemoglobin testing.
Malnutrition is one of the major causes of anemia, so hemoglobin measurement can provide a reliable screening tool for the effectiveness of ongoing nutrition and health programs. The Symposium provided an ideal opportunity for the participating health workers to learn from the experts, and also meet and share their experiences and best practice for anemia screening programs which form an integral part of the larger nutrition programs, such as the Peruvian “Programa Articulado Nutricional”.
EKF Diagnostics’ Hemo Control is designed to deliver quantitative, lab-quality hemoglobin results from 25 seconds. It also calculates hematocrit. It uses the well-established photometric azide methemoglobin method ensuring reliable results with high precision (CV <2%). Due to its backlit screen, soft-load cuvette holder and integrated rechargeable battery, it is suitable for stationary use and mobile settings. The point-of-care analyzer also features a bi-directional interface using a public standard protocol that allows direct integration with third-party software.
