UNICEF: Food crisis threatens to increase child mortality in the Horn of Africa

Geneva-Sana

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned of an "imminent explosion" in child deaths in the Horn of Africa due to food shortages, calling on the world to move quickly to alleviate the crisis.

And the United Nations News Center quoted UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Rania Dagash as saying at a press conference in Geneva: “The world must pay attention to issues other than the Ukrainian crisis,” warning that “if the world does not widen its eyes away from the war in Ukraine and act Immediately, an explosion in child deaths is about to occur in the Horn of Africa.”

Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are recording a significant increase in the number of severely malnourished children admitted to hospitals for treatment in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021.

According to UNICEF, mortality rates are also worrying. This year, in some of the worst-affected areas of the Horn of Africa, the child mortality rate was three times higher due to acute malnutrition with medical complications in treatment centers compared to the previous year.

Between February and May, the number of families without a reliable source of clean and safe water nearly doubled from 5.6 million to 10.5 million.

The rains were blocked for four seasons in two years, which led to the death of crops and livestock and the drying up of water sources.

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