The Federal Government has approved transition from Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) to Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) by pregnant women in the country.
By this development, every woman is expected to take MMS once daily for 180 days during pregnancy.
However, the government is not phasing out IFAS, as health facilities with access to it will continue to use them.
Announcing the transition, yesterday, in Abuja, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Mohammed Pate, said the 2018 Nigerian Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) showed that about 61 per cent of all pregnant women were anaemic, adding that maternal anaemia puts the mother at increased risk of death and poor pregnancy and birth outcomes.
He noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved MMS as a safe and cost-effective way to meet micronutrient requirement of women during pregnancy.
The minister observed that in 2021, the Federal Ministry…
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