Malnutrition in Iligan, CDO alarming – Unicef
MORE than a month after tropical storm Sendong devastated communities across northern Mindanao, many children are still suffering from malnutrition, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Figures released by nutrition experts showed that the malnutrition rate in the cities of Cagayan de Oro ( the capital of Misamis Oriental province) and Iligan (the capital of Lanao del Norte province) has increased significantly.
Acute malnutrition has several indicators including being underweight for height.
A “wasting” child has a 30-percent chance of dying if the condition is left untreated.
The agency said that the increase in malnutrition rates may be attributed to compromised food supply and the food quality of families who are now displaced.
For infants, it added, an exacerbating factor is the widespread donation of powdered milk, which undermines breastfeeding.
“Malnutrition is an especially serious concern for Mindanao, where a significant number of children are already undernourished. Sendong dealt an additional blow to these children’s health. That is why we need to keep a close eye on the situation of these vulnerable young children,” Dr. Abdul Alim, the agency’s Philippine representative, said.
During the latest screening supported by the agency, 207 children were found to be acutely malnourished.
This was a 50- percent increase compared to the initial screening carried out at the beginning of the emergency.
The world body continues to monitor the situation of children in Mindanao, provides assistance to the Department of Health and checks milk-code violations.
To encourage breastfeeding, the government has requested donor companies to halt powdered milk distribution in evacuation centers.
The agency is also providing readyto-use therapeutic food for the treatment of wasting and micronutrient powders to increase the nutritional value of foods consumed by children.
It has reached around 4,500 children under five years old, and around 2,000 pregnant and lactating women and spent around $400,000 on nutrition supplies and services, which include breastfeeding counseling and nutrition screening.
“The process of recovery and rehabilitation for the hundreds of thousands of children and families affected by Sendong will take many months. Unicef will continue to work closely with the government, UN agencies and civil-society partners to provide support and services that address the current needs as well as identifying and implementing longer-term solutions including disaster risk reduction,” Alim said.