Child malnutrition is spiking in Haiti amid pandemic, says UNICEF

Severe acute childhood malnutrition in Haiti is expected to more than double this year as the country deals with rising violence, the coronavirus pandemic, and a lack of access to essential services, UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency, said in a statement Monday.

The agency warned that more than 86,000 Haitian children under five could be affected, compared with 41,000 last year. "In the hospitals, I was saddened to see so many children suffering from malnutrition. Some will not recover unless they receive treatment in time," said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, after a weeklong visit to Haiti.