Background: Anaemia is the most common nutritional problem in the world with significant impact on the neurological and cognitive development of young, growing children. India has a high prevalence of anaemia among its under-five children. The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia in children in the age group 6 months to 5 years.Methods: A hospital based descriptive study was done on 51 children attending the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. They were evaluated by obtaining a detailed history, physical examination and haemoglobin and serum ferritin estimation.Results: The prevalence of anaemia in the present study was 41.2%. 13 (25.5%) had mild anaemia, 8 (15.7%) had moderate anaemia and none had severe anaemia. Iron deficiency anaemia was present in 17 out of 21 children (81%) with anaemia (p<0.00001). There were significant associations between haemoglobin levels and age (p=0.049) and nutritional status (moderate acute malnutrition) (p=0.034) of the children in the study.Conclusions: The prevalence of anaemia in children under 5 years in Kerala, which has performed well in other health quality indicators, remains high. A multimodal strategy to address this public health problem is required.

Background: Zinc has a central role in immunity and body`s response to infection. The detrimental effects of zinc deficiency on the immune system can lead to a worse outcome in pneumonia and other infections. There has been renewed interest in zinc in the wake of the SARS Coronavirus 2 pandemic.Objectives: To estimate the serum zinc levels in children with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) and determine its association with respiratory rate, heart rate and oxygen saturation in room air. Method:This hospital based descriptive study included 40 children admitted with varying degrees of severity of ALRI.Results: Nineteen (47.5%) cases presented as wheeze-associated lower respiratory infection (WALRI) and bronchiolitis, 12 (30%) presented as pneumonia, 7 (17.5%) as severe pneumonia and 2 (5%) as very severe pneumonia. The mean serum zinc level was statistically different among these groups of children (p=0.0001). The mean serum zinc level in children with WALRI / bronchiolitis was 63.0532 ± 5.6283µg/dl while in children with pneumonia, severe pneumonia and very severe pneumonia the mean serum zinc levels were 48.5817 ± 1.7937µg/dl, 38.1043 ± 3.8443µg/dl and 36.305 ± 2.86378µg/dl respectively. Children with tachypnoea, tachycardia and low oxygen saturation levels had lower mean serum zinc levels of 44.579µg/dl (p=0.0001), 44.1113µg/dl (p = 0.0001) _________________________________________

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