Tuesday, 3 May 2011

MALNUTRITION: Zimbabwe's startling bad statistics

Latika Sharma on Mon, 04/25/2011 Zimbabwe Thokozani Khupe TNM Health

Thousands Of Children Starving To Death
According to Zimbabwe’s Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe and UNICEF, every year around 12,000 children die of malnutrition in the country.

The information contained in a dossier titled: ‘A Situational Analysis on the Status of Women’s and Children’s Rights in Zimbabwe, 2005-2010’, was made public, recently.


The food crisis has only served to further exacerbate the situation, caused mainly by land grabs, and further compounded by human rights abuse ensuing against a background of the 2002 drought.
The researchers calling the report’s findings startling said, one of three children in Zimbabwe suffers from chronic malnutrition, with maternal and child under-nutrition contributing to 35% of all child deaths, globally.
The report states, the application of these estimates to Zimbabwe, will likely see under-nutrition contribute to over 12,000 child deaths each year, which alarming figures forecast poor development, considering children are the leaders of tomorrow.
Under-nourished children suffer from life-long consequences, are more susceptible to disease, more likely to have poorer educational and birth outcomes, including reduced economic activity in to adulthood.
These children on gaining weight rapidly later on in childhood and into adolescence, are at an increased risk of chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease later in life.
During the early 1980s and 1990s when Zimbabwe’s economy was faring well, child mortality was the lowest in the region.
It is interesting to note malnutrition in Zimbabwe knows no class, with even the the wealthiest have unacceptably high rates of malnutrition, according to the report.
http://topnews.ae/content/27185-thousands-children-starving-death

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