Table 2.
Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency (vitamin A deficiency, anemia and Iodine deficiency) in the Arab countries (2000).
| Country | Exophthalmia (night blindness + Bitors spot) children 0–72 month% | Vitamin A deficiency (serum retinol < 0.7 mmol/L children 0.72 month) % | Anemia non-pregnant women 15–40 years % | Anemia (pregnant women) % | Anemia (children 0–59 month) % | Iodine deficiency % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 1.0 | 28.9 | 31.3 | 35.2 | 37.6 | 16.7 |
| Bahrain | − | − | 36.2* | 41* | − | − |
| Egypt | 0.9 | 27.1 | 28.0 | 46.1 | 30.5 | 11.9 |
| Iraq | 1.4 | 41.7 | 40.1 | 26.2 | 36.3 | 24.6 |
| Jordan | 0.3 | 19.3 | 29.3 | 35.7 | 27.2 | 10.8 |
| Kuwait | 0.1 | 15.8 | 12.3 | 35.1 | 4.7 | − |
| Lebanon | 0.4 | 19.9 | 24.1 | 22.3 | 20.5 | 11.0 |
| Libya | 0.5 | 19.3 | 23.5 | − | 20.3 | 10.1 |
| Mauritania | 1.7 | 17.4 | 42.0 | 40.0 | 73.8 | − |
| Morocco | 1.1 | 29.2 | 34.0 | 39.3 | 45.0 | − |
| Oman | − | − | − | − | 60** | − |
| S. Arabia | 0.5 | 20.9 | 18.6 | 23.1 | 18.5 | − |
| Somalia | 2.0 | 25.1 | 53.7 | 40.0 | 78.4 | 12.6 |
| Sudan | 1.6 | 35.8 | 44.3 | 45.0 | 70.2 | 11.5 |
| Syria | 0.6 | 22.0 | 30.1 | 40.7 | 39.5 | 27.1 |
| Tunisia | 0.8 | 21.5 | 27.0 | 30.5 | 32.2 | 09.1 |
| UAE | 0.1 | 13.7 | 10.5 | 35.1 | 1.4 | − |
*
1995,
**
1992. Source, Mason et al. [11].