Ministry of Health and Sports has conducted a survey of micro-nutrition and food consumption and will release a preliminary finding report in the coming December.

An official of Nutritional Development and Research Division at Public Health Department said: “The ministry is working to ensure the nationwide coverage of nutritional development as well as conducting a survey of micro-nutrition and food consumption. Based on the survey result, the ministry will continue implementing the tasks. Currently, anemia and short stature are prevalent in Myanmar. One in five children is short stature around the globe. But in Myanmar, one in three children is found to be short stature. The recent year, this number has declined slightly. In 2003, 70 in 100 pregnant women and children under five suffered from anemia. Now this case has declined to 51 per cent. The prevalence of under two-year-old children with anemia remains high.”

The breastfeeding rate in Myanmar is over 90 per cent. The breastfeeding of children till six months is just 23 per cent. Only one in four children has to fully drink breast milk. The child malnutrition remains high even though the country has been working on the nutritional development for more than 60 years.  Mothers need to consume nutritious foods. Infants also need the exclusive breastfeeding for six months. It needs to feed children aged between six months and two years, according to the Nutritional Development and Research Division

The country sees a significant decline in the number of children who suffer from night blindness, measles and disease.

Currently, the ministry needs to mainly deal with iron deficiency anemia. In Myanmar, pregnant mothers and one in four under-five children suffer from anemia severely. Nutritional development of children until two years is crucial.