Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Aden (Agenzia Fides) - Alarm for the plight of children in Yemen. The continuous and incessant conflicts in various parts of Yemen - which has recently caused the displacement of thousands of people to the governorate of Abyan and the district of Arhab in Sana'a - could undermine the food and nutritional conditions of refugees, especially children . In a recent statement issued by UNICEF, says that this phenomenon is likely to cause disease and mortality especially among children under five years of age. "Yemen could become the next Somalia considering the state of severe malnutrition that is hitting the country", said a representative of the United Nations in the country. In addition to the rapid spread of malnutrition, the physical conditions of children worsen because of constant movement. From a recent survey conducted by humanitarian agencies in the districts of Haradh, Bakeel Al Meer and Mustaba of the governorate of Hajjah, it appears that the rate of global acute malnutrition (GAM) among children under five is 39%. 8.5% of these cases are serious. There is little food for children, local families have fled from Abyan, they are unable to feed their children who continue to lose weight, become dehydrated, lose appetite. Even for mothers, the situation is no better: they are underweight and anemic as a result of underfeeding. UNICEF has set up two treatment centers in the two government hospitals, the Wahda Hospital in Aden, and l'Ibn Khaldoon Hospital in Lahj near Abyan, to treat malnutrition among displaced children. In a report of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) says that Yemen has the highest child malnutrition rate among all countries of the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, official statistics speak of 365 deaths during childbirth out of every 100 000 mothers. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 23/08/2011)
