AFRICA/SOMALIA - Children under 5 years of age malnourished and at risk of infectious diseases

Friday, 6 June 2014

Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) - About 857 000 Somalis are in need of immediate aid, while more than 2 million are facing food insecurity due to drought, poor harvests and ongoing armed conflicts in the Country. Children are the victims most affected by these phenomena. The children's hospital Benadir, in Mogadishu, is full of malnourished children, most of whom have been hospitalized in the past two months. The average of daily hospitalizations is 10 malnourished children under 5 years of age. They come from every part of the Country, Benadir, Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle and Hiran. Although the hospital is doing its best to handle the influx of children, the need for medical care is beyond the capacity of the structure. To prevent the situation from getting worse, collective effort is urgently required, the Government, the UN and the media should act to create awareness among the people of the serious danger in progress. In addition to malnutrition, displaced people are facing problems of water and sanitation that can lead to diseases. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 06/06/2014)


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