MCQ – 101602

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a programme to meet the challenge of high prevalence of anaemia amongst adolescent boys and girls. Consider the following statements in relation to the key interventions being undertaken:
I. It entails supervised weekly administration of 100 mg elemental iron and 500 µg folic acid.
II. These weekly iron-folic acid supplements are administered by using a fixed day approach.
III. It entails supervised administration of Albendazole 400 mg every three months for control of helminth infestation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer » B Explanation

Statement-wise analysis

1. Statement I: Incorrect
   • Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) provides one tablet containing 100 mg iron salt (ferrous sulphate), equivalent to about 60 mg elemental iron, and 500 μg folic acid.
   • Therefore, 100 mg elemental iron is incorrect.
2. Statement II: Correct
   • WIFS uses a fixed-day approach for supervised weekly administration.
3. Statement III: Incorrect
   • Albendazole 400 mg is administered every 6 months (biannually), not every 3 months.