The Katsina State Government through the Primary Health Care Development Agency says it has intensified efforts to reduce the burden of children with severe acute malnutrition through prevention and treatment.
Executive Secretary of the Agency, Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya stated this during a one-day state-level nutrition program review meeting to improve the quality of nutrition services.
The 2018 National Nutrition and Health Survey rates nutrition indices in Katsina State as being poor with the prevalence of severe acute malnutrition as the worse in the country.
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The survey also puts children between 6 to 59 months representing 2% as being severely malnourished while 23.8% are in the category of being stunted.
Dr. Yahaya said the way the Agency is tackling malnutrition in the state is the expansion of the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition, CMAM, from 14 to 24 local government areas to ensure prevention and treatment.
A Director of the agency Dr. Nafisa Sani said, they have engaged the local government chairmen and parents taking the prevention and cure to the household and community levels.
The meeting with Chairmen from 23 local government areas, directors of the primary healthcare, facilitators, and nutrition focal persons was held to seek the way forward and discuss the successes and challenges with the progress report on activities across the state.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
