Anaemia affects around two billion people worldwide.
Pregnant women and children are the major groups at risk. A study in a rural area of The Gambia by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and partners showed that the Haemoglobin Colour Scale is appropriate for anaemia screening in poorly resourced areas, but that simpler training and assessment procedures are needed. The Haemoglobin Colour Scale was developed in response to the deficiencies of other forms of testing. In this test, the colour of a drop of blood is compared to a standardised scale to estimate the level of haemoglobin in the blood. Successful use of the test in screening programmes will depend on the training given to healthworkers and their ability to interpret the findings.