<p>Mysuru: Congenital birth deformities among newborns and malnourishment among children continues to be a challenge, despite literacy and several government programmes such as Matru Vandana, midday meal to nourish antenatal and postnatal mothers, Anganwadi and school children. </p><p>Officials of the department of Health and Family Welfare screened 2,37,349 Anganwadi children (out of 2,44,524) from April to June in 2024 and January to March in 2025 under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) for early detection and management of four 'D's - defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases, developmental delay including disability - under National Health Mission (NHM). Among them 23,714 children (10%) had deficiencies, 548 children (0.2%) had defects at birth, 36,853 (15.5%) children had childhood diseases, 2,139 (0.9%) children were identified with development delay and disability. </p><p>Similarly, among 1,93,116 (out of 1,98,107) children of government and aided schools, from class 1 to 10, were screened from July to December in 2024. As many as 471 (0.2%) children had birth defects, 29,461 (15%) had deficiencies, 34,765 (18%) had childhood diseases, and 10,355 children had developmental delay and disability.</p><p>"Health and Family Welfare department personnel, including ASHA workers, take care of ante-natal, postnatal followups of new mothers, provide folic acid and other medicines. </p><p>They follow up healthcare and vaccination of children. Despite several awareness programmes, many women don't give importance to nutrition and don't have proper food and medicines during pregnancy. Negligence, consagamous weddings (among blood relatives), child marriage, adolescent pregnancy due to POCSO Act cases are still a challenge, leading to hereditary genetic diseases or birth defects," said, Mysuru district RCH (Reproductive Child Health) officer Dr Mohammed Shiraz Ahmed.</p><p>"Under PM Matru vandana Yojana, benefit of Rs 5,000 is given for first pregnancy and Rs 6,000 for second female delivery. Under Matru Poorna midday meal, ration is given for first two pregnancies. Lack of sanitation and hygiene leads to health issues like diarrhea and fever, leading to Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderately Acute Malnutrition (MAM) issues. Besides supplementary nutrition food, midday meal under Integrated child development services scheme, Srushti, and Ksheerabhagya, additional milk and egg is provided to children with SAM and MAM issues in Anganwadis. CFTRI has also taken up a pilot project, providing nutritional food to Anganwadi kids to address the issue of SAM and MAM," said Deputy Director for Women and Child Development B Basavaraju. </p><p>Dr Shiraz pointed, "While malnourishment was common among rural areas and migrants earlier, it is found even among urban populations due to junk food habits now". </p><p>Dr Sanjeev K Bansal, general physician and nutritionist, said, "Malnutrition (under or over nutrition) happens due to improper intake of energy, minerals or vitamins or other nutrients - either due to inability to buy adequate food due to poverty or not consuming enough of the right food among middle class and rich. In sub-urban areas, especially in poor families, under-nourishment happens due to lack of awareness about the need of exclusive breastfeeding for minimum six months and use of complementary feeds leading to diarrhoea or other issues. In urban areas, if both parents are working and spending less time supervising their kids, they tend to spend long hours with TV or mobile phones and get influenced by marketing of junk foods. Urban diets have more animal-source food, fruits and vegetables, oils, sugar, salt, and ultra-processed food combined with less physical activity, leading to an increase in overweight and obesity, including childhood obesity".</p><p>Dr Shiraz informed, "From April 2024 to March 2025, about 59,452 Anganwadi children and 72,575 schoolchildren, identified under RBSK, were referred for higher attention to the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) on Mysuru District Hospital premises or Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRC) at Chaluvamba Hospital or government hospitals in HD Kote, T Narsipur and Nanjungud. Among 55,416 children found with deficiencies, 394 were treated for SAM, 291 for severe stunting, 8,661 for severe thinning, 3,062 for MAM, 2,960 for obesity, 1,666 for Vitamin A deficiency, 20,760 for Vitamin B complex deficiency, 2,081 for Vitamin D deficiency, and 10 for goitre." </p><p>"Among 946 children with birth defects and childhood diseases, 153 have undergone surgeries. Fifty-eight were treated for cleft lip palate, 70 for club foot, 13 for congenital cataract, 70 for congenital deafness, 638 for heart diseases, six for developmental dysplasia of hip, 30 for down's syndrome, seven for macrocephaly, 15 for microcephaly, 11 for neural tube defect, 13 for retinopathy of prematurity," Dr Shiraz added.</p><p>Among 11,933 children with development delay and disability, 42 were treated for autism, 22 for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 6,873 for vision impairment, 143 for hearing loss, and 265 for Chronic Acute Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) and 445 Acute SOM (infection of middle ear), 942 for language delay, 311 for learning disorder, 138 for cognitive delay, 145 for motor delay, and 183 for neuromotor impairment. </p>
<p>Mysuru: Congenital birth deformities among newborns and malnourishment among children continues to be a challenge, despite literacy and several government programmes such as Matru Vandana, midday meal to nourish antenatal and postnatal mothers, Anganwadi and school children. </p><p>Officials of the department of Health and Family Welfare screened 2,37,349 Anganwadi children (out of 2,44,524) from April to June in 2024 and January to March in 2025 under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) for early detection and management of four 'D's - defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases, developmental delay including disability - under National Health Mission (NHM). Among them 23,714 children (10%) had deficiencies, 548 children (0.2%) had defects at birth, 36,853 (15.5%) children had childhood diseases, 2,139 (0.9%) children were identified with development delay and disability. </p><p>Similarly, among 1,93,116 (out of 1,98,107) children of government and aided schools, from class 1 to 10, were screened from July to December in 2024. As many as 471 (0.2%) children had birth defects, 29,461 (15%) had deficiencies, 34,765 (18%) had childhood diseases, and 10,355 children had developmental delay and disability.</p><p>"Health and Family Welfare department personnel, including ASHA workers, take care of ante-natal, postnatal followups of new mothers, provide folic acid and other medicines. </p><p>They follow up healthcare and vaccination of children. Despite several awareness programmes, many women don't give importance to nutrition and don't have proper food and medicines during pregnancy. Negligence, consagamous weddings (among blood relatives), child marriage, adolescent pregnancy due to POCSO Act cases are still a challenge, leading to hereditary genetic diseases or birth defects," said, Mysuru district RCH (Reproductive Child Health) officer Dr Mohammed Shiraz Ahmed.</p><p>"Under PM Matru vandana Yojana, benefit of Rs 5,000 is given for first pregnancy and Rs 6,000 for second female delivery. Under Matru Poorna midday meal, ration is given for first two pregnancies. Lack of sanitation and hygiene leads to health issues like diarrhea and fever, leading to Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderately Acute Malnutrition (MAM) issues. Besides supplementary nutrition food, midday meal under Integrated child development services scheme, Srushti, and Ksheerabhagya, additional milk and egg is provided to children with SAM and MAM issues in Anganwadis. CFTRI has also taken up a pilot project, providing nutritional food to Anganwadi kids to address the issue of SAM and MAM," said Deputy Director for Women and Child Development B Basavaraju. </p><p>Dr Shiraz pointed, "While malnourishment was common among rural areas and migrants earlier, it is found even among urban populations due to junk food habits now". </p><p>Dr Sanjeev K Bansal, general physician and nutritionist, said, "Malnutrition (under or over nutrition) happens due to improper intake of energy, minerals or vitamins or other nutrients - either due to inability to buy adequate food due to poverty or not consuming enough of the right food among middle class and rich. In sub-urban areas, especially in poor families, under-nourishment happens due to lack of awareness about the need of exclusive breastfeeding for minimum six months and use of complementary feeds leading to diarrhoea or other issues. In urban areas, if both parents are working and spending less time supervising their kids, they tend to spend long hours with TV or mobile phones and get influenced by marketing of junk foods. Urban diets have more animal-source food, fruits and vegetables, oils, sugar, salt, and ultra-processed food combined with less physical activity, leading to an increase in overweight and obesity, including childhood obesity".</p><p>Dr Shiraz informed, "From April 2024 to March 2025, about 59,452 Anganwadi children and 72,575 schoolchildren, identified under RBSK, were referred for higher attention to the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) on Mysuru District Hospital premises or Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres (NRC) at Chaluvamba Hospital or government hospitals in HD Kote, T Narsipur and Nanjungud. Among 55,416 children found with deficiencies, 394 were treated for SAM, 291 for severe stunting, 8,661 for severe thinning, 3,062 for MAM, 2,960 for obesity, 1,666 for Vitamin A deficiency, 20,760 for Vitamin B complex deficiency, 2,081 for Vitamin D deficiency, and 10 for goitre." </p><p>"Among 946 children with birth defects and childhood diseases, 153 have undergone surgeries. Fifty-eight were treated for cleft lip palate, 70 for club foot, 13 for congenital cataract, 70 for congenital deafness, 638 for heart diseases, six for developmental dysplasia of hip, 30 for down's syndrome, seven for macrocephaly, 15 for microcephaly, 11 for neural tube defect, 13 for retinopathy of prematurity," Dr Shiraz added.</p><p>Among 11,933 children with development delay and disability, 42 were treated for autism, 22 for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 6,873 for vision impairment, 143 for hearing loss, and 265 for Chronic Acute Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) and 445 Acute SOM (infection of middle ear), 942 for language delay, 311 for learning disorder, 138 for cognitive delay, 145 for motor delay, and 183 for neuromotor impairment. </p>