A recent review article by Dr R Thejpal in CME provided a comprehensive update on the diagnosis, treatment and challenges of early diagnosis of iron deficiency in South African children. Although several definitive laboratory tests are readily available in SA National Health Laboratory Service laboratories for diagnosing iron deficiency in both children and adults, laboratory testing is expensive and, as noted previously, regions with a high prevalence of anaemia also have a large burden of infectious diseases that invariably become the laboratory priority in resource-constrained settings. © 2015, South African Medical Association. All rights reserved.