Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Karachi (Agenzia Fides) – A study conducted by the Pakistani provincial government of Sindh, with support from UNICEF, reveals a serious nutrition crisis among children. There are an estimated 90,000 children under five years of age suffering from malnutrition. The recently published research shows a global rate of acute malnutrition (GAM) of 23.1% among children between six months and five years in the north and 21.2% in the south of Sindh, levels similar to those recorded in sub-Saharan Africa. In response to this investigation, the Government launched a strategic plan with UNICEF, FAO and other NGOs in 19 of the 23 districts in the province. If left untreated, malnutrition can cause irreversible physical and psychological damage. In children it may increase the risk of contracting diseases and dying from diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia, respiratory infections and tuberculosis. Scholars argue that, despite the fact that the area is agricultural, the political instability, poverty, inequality, climatic and environmental changes and food insecurity constitute some of the main causes leading to the nutritional crisis. (AP) (5/3/2011 Agenzia Fides)
