World Food Safety Day 2021:Know about malnutrition and its effects on children

New Delhi: A day before World Food Security Day, a worrying picture has emerged regarding the malnutrition of children. The Ministry of Women and Child Development, in response to a question asked under the Right to Information (RTI), has said that till November last year, about 9,27,606 severely malnourished children in the age group of six months to six years have been identified in the country.

World Food Safety 2021:

These figures raise concerns that the coronavirus pandemic could further exacerbate the health and nutrition woes of the poor.

Not a single malnourished child in these states:

Surprisingly, not a single severely malnourished child was found in Madhya Pradesh, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Nagaland and Manipur. According to the RTI reply, apart from Ladakh, none of the four Anganwadi centers, including Madhya Pradesh, one of the largest states in the country, provided any information on the matter.

Standards for severe malnutrition according to the World Health Organization: Very low weight-to-height or mid-upper arm circumference less than 115 mm, or nutrient deficiencies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Severe malnutrition (SAM) is defined by inflammation. They are nine times more likely to die from a disease.

NFHS figures also warn: National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS) figures for the year 2015-16 show that then the rate of severe malnutrition among children was 7.4 percent. According to the NFHS-5, released in December last year, 13 of the 22 states and union territories surveyed showed an increase in the percentage of children under five being stunted compared to 2015-16.

There has been an increase in the percentage of children with disabilities in 12. There has been an increase in the percentage of children below five years of age who are weak and underweight in 16 states and union territories. In NFHS-5, 6.1 lakh households were surveyed. To overcome the problems of malnutrition, the government has started Poshan Abhiyaan in the year 2018.

Stay tuned with the newstrack to get fastest updates. Click @englishnewstrack to follow us on Facebook and @newstrackmedia to follow on Twitter.