The United Nations Children’s Funds UNICEF and the United Nations World Food Programme, WFP have warned that about 15.4 million children under the age of 5 years in Nigeria, other West African countries and Central Africa will suffer from acute malnutrition before the end of this year 2020.
In a statement, the U.N agencies say that the number represents a 20 per cent increase from earlier estimates, in January 2020, according to an analysis of the combined impact of food insecurity and COVID-19 on acute malnutrition in 19 countries of the region.
The statement said that armed conflict and other violence have led to massive population displacements and drastically limited access to basic social services, causing child malnutrition to increase to an unprecedented level.
The UN said that the coronavirus disease is exacerbating fragile contexts in West and Central Africa, such as in the Sahel region across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, already stricken with food insecurity and malnutrition.
It said before the COVID-19 pandemic, 4.5 million cases were anticipated to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2020, in these six countries.
But today, with growing insecurity and COVID-19, that number has jumped to almost 5.4 million.
UNICEF’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier, said Children suffering from severe acute malnutrition are at higher risk of COVID-19-related complications.
Whereas, good nutrition for children, starting from their early days, will protect them against illnesses and infections and supports their recovery when they become ill.
Editor :Tunde Orebiyi
