Join UNICEF in calling on #G7 leaders to fund the prevention and treatment of child hunger and malnutrition now. pic.twitter.com/DnU9qsfMq5
The UN agency stressed that the number of desperately hungry children suffering from severe wasting has continued to grow, in the countries where it has raised the alarm.
$1.2 billion needed
Within the 15 countries highlighted as most at risk by UNICEF, the agency estimates that at least 40 million children are severely nutrition insecure, meaning they are not receiving the bare minimum diverse diet they need to grow and develop in early childhood.
No matter the time, no matter the place, conflict creates suffering.
That’s the alarming message on Thursday from UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, which issued the alert for 15 countries in crisis where the situation is worsening.
Prices soaring
Furthermore, 21 million children are severely food insecure, meaning they lack access to enough food to meet minimum food needs, leaving them at high risk of severe wasting.
The UN agency warning comes as world leaders prepare to gather for the G7 summit of leading industrialized economies in Germany, in the coming days.
This comes as the price of ready-to-use food to treat severe wasting, has soared by 16 per cent in recent weeks, owing to a sharp rise in the cost of raw ingredients.
“We are now seeing the tinderbox of conditions for extreme levels of child wasting begin to catch fire,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
Severe wasting – where children are too thin for their height – is the most visible and lethal form of undernutrition. Weakened immune systems increase the risk of death among children under 5 by up to 11 times, compared to well-nourished children.
‘Lethal’ lack of nutrition
UNICEF warned that the price spike has left up to 600,000 additional children “without access to life-saving treatment and at risk of death”.
Between January and June, that number increased by well over 250,000, from 7.67 million to 7.93 million children.
UNICEF has called for .2 billion to meet urgent needs of eight million children at risk of death from severe wasting, in 15 mainly African nations, such as Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan, but also Afghanistan and Haiti.
