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Almost seven million more children under five, at risk of severe malnutrition

2020-07-28T12:37:26.597Z


The increase in this disease due to the pandemic would translate into more than 10,000 more deaths per month, of which more than half would occur in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study by The Lancet


At least 6.7 million more children under the age of five could suffer severe malnutrition in 2020 as a result of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, according to the complaint by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Emaciation — a condition that causes weight loss of 10% in less than a month — could increase 14.3% in low- and middle-income countries. This increase would translate into more than 10,000 additional child deaths per month, of which more than 50% would occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the report The Impact of Covid-19 on Child Malnutrition and Nutrition-Related Mortality reveals , published in The Lancet. 

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Representatives from UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned that the pandemic is undermining nutrition throughout the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries, with young children suffering the worst consequences. More and more children and women suffer from malnutrition due to the deterioration of the quality of their diets, the interruption of nutrition services and the other consequences that the impact of the pandemic has had.

"It has been seven months since the first cases of covid-19 were reported and it is increasingly evident that the repercussions of the pandemic are harming children more than the disease itself," said the executive director of Unicef, Henrietta Fore. 

The UN children's agency estimates that some 47 million children suffered from this problem in 2019, before the pandemic, and warns that if there are no urgent actions, that number could approach 54 million in 2020. 80% of these endangered minors are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. More than half, in South Asia, according to the analysis published in The Lancet. Unicef ​​also recalls that emaciation can not only cause death, but also causes deficiencies in its growth, development and learning.

Disruption of nutritional routines due to the pandemic

In Afghanistan and Haiti, fear of contagion and a lack of protective equipment for healthcare workers have led to an estimated 40% and 73% decrease, respectively, in admissions to treat severe wasting in children. In Kenya, those admissions fell 40%. More than 250 million children worldwide are not receiving vitamin A supplements due to covid-19, reports UNICEF.

More than 250 million children worldwide are not receiving vitamin A supplements due to covid-19

"Household poverty and food insecurity rates have increased. Essential nutrition services and supply chains have been cut. Food prices have skyrocketed. As a result, the quality of children's diets has worsened and the malnutrition rate will increase, "Fore lamented. 

In this context, UN agencies have warned that this estimated increase in child wasting is just the tip of the iceberg . As a consequence of the impoverishment of the diet and the interruption of the nutrition services, the covid-19 will also exacerbate other forms of malnutrition in children and women, such as stunting, micronutrient deficiency, and overweight and obesity. Unicef ​​data from the first months of the pandemic point to an overall 30% reduction in coverage of vital nutrition services. In some countries, the interruption of these services during confinement has been between 75% and 100%. 

Abdulrazaq Abdulsalam Alsha'abi, a two-month-old baby suffering from severe malnutrition, was examined at a hospital in Sana'a, Yemen, last February. Alghabri UNICEF

"We cannot allow children to be the ignored victims of the pandemic," said Fore. "We must think short and long term, simultaneously, so that we not only address the challenges posed by the pandemic and its secondary impacts on children, but also map out a brighter future for children and youth." 

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Source: elparis

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