A disturbing National data from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, has revealed that approximately 40% of Nigerian children under 5 years are stunted – an indication of chronic under-nutrition resulting in stunting, wasting and micronutrient deficiencies.
This latest statistics places Ebonyi State in the South East region of the country, as posting a 6.5% of under-5 years children suffering severe acute malnutrition, 31.6% of them stunting and about 22.4% underweight, a situation the UNICEF intervention is set to address.
This worrisome health report about Nigeria, touching on the very root of the country’s future generations – the children is a national challenge, but experts are raising hopes of addressing the underlying causes of malnutrition among infants and children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has identified caregiving practice, breast feeding, adhering to routine immunization exercises of children as well as clean water and sanitization, as key to reversing the disturbing national records.
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At the official handover of 2,832 cartoons of Small Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) rich in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids to children in critical “first 1,000 days” by UNICEF to the Ebonyi State Government, the global body said it will help reduce micronutrient deficiencies and prevent growth retardation among children in the first critical first 1,000 days of life, a window of opportunity for healthy growth.
The UNICEF Enugu Chief of Field officer, Juliet Chiluwe, highlighted underlying causes of malnutrition on children below 5years, calling for adequate sensitisation and registration of children
For some health experts who attended the event, the exercise is timely, calling for proactive measures to ensure that hard-to-reach local communities are covered.
The Ebonyi State Government has pledged commitment to fighting the menace to zero level, with the payment of counterpart funds to the Children Nutrition Fund, among other ongoing Health sector reforms in the State, commending UNICEF’s commitment to improving the health of children in Ebonyi State.
UNICEF and other health noted that with the formal handover of required medicals and consumables for the statewide campaigns, attention now shifts to the 13 Council Areas, where officials are tasked to provide adequate sensitisation to the people.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
