Incidence of anaemia high among tribal people in Coonoor

Incidence of anaemia high among tribal people in Coonoor

Context

Moving away from traditional diet might be a reason

Admitted to a hospital

• It has been a week since M. Rani, a 40-year-old Kurumbar woman residing in Kil Sembakarai in Coonoor, received a blood transfusion at the Coonoor Government Hospital.
• Rani, who complained of dizziness and fatigue before being rushed to hospital, is among half of the Kurumbar residents residing in the village, who are either malnourished or are anaemic

Vanishing variety

The 37 Kurumbar families residing in the village had earlier been growing a variety of crops, including ragi, corn and millets, which they used to consume for a relatively wholesome nutrient meal

The problem

However, with more people moving out from the village, giving up farming and working on the tea estates nearby in Adderley, necessitating a change in diet predominated by rice from the ration shop, local residents say that their health indices have fallen correspondingly in the subsequent year

Subsistence on rice

Locals still rely on harvesting forest produce, including yams and vegetables, but most families subsist primarily on the rice given to them at the ration shops

Rice-based diet leading to deterioration of health

Tribal rights activists working in the belt believe that the diet of the tribal people, which has become rice-based, could be leading to a deterioration of their health in the long run

Impact

Anaemia, thalassemia, and sickle-cell anemia, are occurring at a higher rate of incidence among tribals in the Nilgiris when compared with other communities