A child is hospitalized every minute due to severe malnutrition, according to UNICEF’s United Nations Children’s Fund.
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
Children in Somalia suffer from severe malnutrition, according to UNICEF’s United Nations Children’s Fund. In August alone, nearly 44,000 children were hospitalized for health problems caused by malnutrition. According to this, a child reaches the hospitals almost every minute.
According to UNICEF, severely malnourished children are eleven times more likely than other children to die from related diseases such as diarrhea and measles. Somalia is on the brink of the worst crisis the country has seen in the past decade.
Mothers walk for days to take their children to hospitals. Surprising numbers of children suffering from malnutrition are emerging. Terrorism and intimidation of volunteers continue to prevent civilians from reaching hospitals.
UNICEF is sending mobile teams to help children in these places and is trying to reach the children and help them in their place of residence. UNICEF has already helped nearly three million children suffering from severe malnutrition. In the past three months alone, UNICEF has been able to provide emergency water to nearly five lakhs of people.
This was announced by UNICEF spokesman James Elder at a press conference held on October 18 at the Palace of Nations in Geneva.
