When Canadian science graduate Christopher Charles visited Cambodia six
years ago he discovered that anemia was a huge public health problem.
In the villages of Kandal province, instead of bright, bouncing
children, Dr Charles found many were small and weak with slow mental
development.
Women were suffering from tiredness and headaches, and were unable to
work.
Pregnant women faced serious health complications before and after
childbirth, such as hemorrhaging.
Ever since, Dr Charles has been obsessed with iron.
Anaemia is the most common nutritional problem in the world, mainly
affecting women of child-bearing age, teenagers and young children.
In developing countries, such as Cambodia, the condition is particularly
widespread with almost 50% of women and children suffering from the
condition, which is mainly caused by iron deficiency. The standard
solution - iron supplements or tablets to increase iron intake - isn't
working.
The tablets are neither affordable nor widely available, and because of
the side-effects people don't like taking them.
Dr Charles had a novel idea. Inspired by previous research which showed
that cooking in cast iron pots increased the iron content of food, he
decided to put a lump of iron into the cooking pot, made from
melted-down metal.
His invention, shaped like a fish, which is a symbol of luck in
Cambodian culture, was designed to release iron at the right
concentration to provide the nutrients that so many women and children
in the country were lacking. The recipe is simple, Dr Charles says.
"Boil up water or soup with the iron fish for at least 10 minutes.
That enhances the iron which leaches from it.
You can then take it out. Now add a little lemon juice which is
important for the absorption of the iron."
If the iron fish is used every day in the correct way, Dr Charles says
it should provide 75% of an adult's daily recommended intake of iron -
and even more of a child's.
Trials on several hundred villagers in one province in Cambodia showed
that nearly half of those who took part were no longer anemic after 12 months.
Around 2,500 families in Cambodia are now using the iron fish and the Lucky Iron Fish company
has distributed nearly 9,000 fish to hospitals and non-governmental organizations in the country.
What pleases Dr Charles most is the fact that villagers appear to have
accepted the smiling iron fish, which is 3in (7.6 cm) long and weighs
about 200g (7.1 oz).
The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people - over
30% of the world's population - are anemic, mostly due to iron
deficiency.
It says stopping iron deficiency is a priority - for individuals and
countries.
However, there are other forms of anemia. It can also be caused by
vitamin B12 and A deficiencies, parasitic infections, such as malaria,
and other infectious diseases.
There's an additional news video here.
No comments:
Post a Comment