South Africa

The prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age is 30.5% with policy support in both the standard treatment guidelines for pregnancy supplementation and population –based fortification of staple foods such as bread and maize. Although routine publication of anemia prevalence is not readily available regional studies, have reported the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women as high as 41,7%.

Multiple Micronutrient Supplement (MMS) is already recognized as a better alternative to Iron Folic Acid (IFA) and is more cost-effective than IFA. Modeling research shows that scaling up MMS in South Africa could prevent between 1100 and 2700 preterm births, 300 and 600 stillbirths, 2600 to 6500 low-birth-weight births, and 1500 to 3600 small-for-gestational-age births each year.