Over 2.5 million children suffer from acute malnutrition in Nigeria - UNCEF

Over 2.5 million children in Nigeria suffer from acute malnutrition in Nigeria, with 20 per cent of them at the risk of imminent death unless there is urgent intervention, the   United Nations Children Education Fund ( UNICEF), has  said.

UNICEF Chief of Communication in Nigeria, Doune Porter made the revelation yesterday at a Media dialogue on Child Malnutrition held in Owerri, Imo State for select media practitioners in the country.

She further lamented that half a million children under one year of age die every  year in Nigeria as a result malnutrition.

Decrying the increasing rate of malnutrition among children and women in Nigeria, the UNICEF Spokesperson called on government and other stakeholders to step up intervention programmes to  stem the tide.

She also solicited the support of the media in advocacy on scaling up nutrition among pregnant mothers and children to save millions of lives at the risk of malnutrition.

Later in a presentation on nutrition interventions in Nigeria, a UNICEF Nutrition Advocacy Specialist, Zachary Fusheini, noted that severe  cases of malnourished children are recorded in the North than other parts of Nigeria.

He posited that malnutrition in  children could lead to wasting , stunting and chronic diseases like diabetes and heart diseases.

Fusheini further said that if children are not given the adequate nutrition before the age of two, it could lead to irreversible health challenges .

He therefore called for collaboration among the stakeholders for urgent intervention to prevent the avoidable deaths that could result from malnutrition.

The two- day workshop drew media practitioners from different states of the country.