SONNA – The United Nations launched an appeal for funds to come to the aid of more than 30 million children in Africa who need saving from malnutrition “before its too late”.<\/p>\n
“More than 30 million children in the 15 most seriously affected countries suffer from wasting – or acute malnutrition – and eight million of these children suffer from severe wasting, the most deadly form of undernutrition”, underline five agencies of the United Nations in a joint statement.<\/p>\n
The 15 countries affected are Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Sudan South and Yemen.<\/p>\n
Skyrocketing food prices are aggravating food shortages and preventing access to basic food at affordable prices. Conflicts, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have worsened the situation, according to the agencies.<\/p>\n
“This situation is likely to deteriorate even more in 2023,” warned the Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu.<\/p>\n
UN agencies are calling for increased investment to support their efforts to meet \u201cthe unprecedented needs arising from this deepening crisis before it is too late\u201d.<\/p>\n
Agencies want to prevent, detect and treat acute child malnutrition by acting on all fronts: food, health, water, hygiene, and social protection systems. It is necessary to ensure that healthy food is “available, accessible and affordable”, stressed Qu Dongyu.<\/p>\n
The action plan will concern children under the age of 5, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and mothers and caregivers of children under the age of 5.<\/p>\n
“The current cascading crises leave millions of children severely malnourished and have made it more difficult for them to access essential services,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.<\/p>\n
\u201cWasting is a source of suffering for the child, and in severe cases, it can lead to death or permanent damage to the growth and development of children,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
This crisis must be tackled with “proven solutions to prevent, detect and treat child wasting at an early stage”, Ms. Russell said.<\/p>\n
Severely malnourished children have weakened immune systems and are at increased risk of dying from common childhood illnesses.<\/p>\n
“The global food crisis is also a health crisis, as well as a vicious circle: malnutrition leads to disease, and disease leads to malnutrition,” concluded Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Food Organization. Health (WHO).<\/p>\n
“Urgent support is needed now in the worst-affected countries to protect children’s lives and health,” he said.<\/p>\n
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