Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says
The New York Times
Supplies of a highly nutritious treatment are running out, according to UNICEF.
Nearly two million children may die of malnutrition because a product used to treat the condition is in short supply, the United Nations Children’s Fund said on Monday.
Four countries — Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad — have exhausted their supplies of the peanut-based, high-nutrient product, called ready-to-use therapeutic food, or are on the brink of doing so. Another eight nations, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, could run out by mid-2025.
“Urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer,” Victor Aguayo, UNICEF’s director for child nutrition and development, said in a statement.
Severe acute malnutrition, or wasting, can result from poor nutrition during gestation and in infancy, limited access to safe drinking water, and relentless attacks by multiple infections.
The children may be stunted and may have prominent ribs and other bones, dry skin and brittle hair. They are diagnosed with the condition when they have a very low weight for their height (or length, in the case of infants); a mid-upper arm circumference of less than 4.5 inches; or a buildup of fluid in the legs, arms and face.
Severe acute malnutrition affects an estimated 19 million children under the age of 5 worldwide and may account for about 400,000 deaths among children each year, according to the World Health Organization.
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