IRAQ: UN report cites vast under-nutrition among children
Source: IRIN
05/09/06 BAGHDAD, 8 May (IRIN)
- One in three Iraqi children is
malnourished and underweight, according to a report released by
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Amman on 2 May.
"Under-nutrition should not be accepted in a country like Iraq,
with its wealth of resources," said UNICEF Special
Representative for Iraq Roger Wright from the Jordanian capital,
Amman. Wright added that ongoing insecurity served to deter
parents from visiting health centres for essential services,
while many health workers had been kidnapped or killed in
different parts of the country.
According to the report, a full 25 percent of Iraqi children
between six months and five years old suffer from either acute
or chronic malnutrition. A 2004 Living Conditions Survey
indicated a decrease in mortality rates among children under
five years old since 1999. However, the results of a September
2005 Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis – commissioned by
Iraq's Central Organisation for Statistics and Information
Technology, the World Food Programme and UNICEF – showed
worsening conditions since the April 2003 US-led invasion of the
country.
The problem is particularly dire in the south, especially in the
provinces of Basra, Diala, Najaf, Qadissiyah, Salahuddin and
Wasit, due primarily to a lack of health funding. Health
ministry officials acknowledge that the public health situation
remains below international standards, but expressed hope that
the recently formed government in Baghdad would provide more
funding.
"We expect that, with the new government, more investment will
be made to the health sector and more children will be saved,"
said senior ministry official Khalid Jomaa, who went on to
complain that much of the funds initially earmarked for public
health had been diverted to security issues.
Aggravating the situation further is the fact that recent price
increases for fruits and vegetables have made it harder for
families to provide their children with balanced diets. "My son
is suffering from malnutrition because I can't afford to give
him a balanced diet," said mother of three Salua Kamar. "With my
large family, it's impossible to buy good food for all of them."
IRIN news
© 1998-2006 Reuters Limited.
Click below to read or post comments on this article
