Agenzia Fides

Kabul (Agenzia Fides) - Despite the massive international aid to Afghanistan, about one third of children under five years of age of the entire northern region, amounting to one million, suffer from malnutrition, a level similar to that of the areas affected by famine. According to the Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), supported by the United Nations, 29.5% of children are suffering from malnutrition. The 30% threshold is an indicator of hunger. Although the region has enough food, poor knowledge of the rules about nutrition, poverty and misconceptions about breastfeeding contribute to this growing phenomenon among children. Aid workers admit that while Afghanistan a country well known for the problems of chronic malnutrition, this crisis has caught them by surprise, and they are working to try to identify the areas where this problem is considerably high. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 07/09/2012)