Child’s malnutrition: UNICEF, others urge investment

….As 2 million children need treatment
It is a global recognition that adequate food and optimal nutritional status are the foundation blocks for the building of healthy, secure lives and thus form the basis for development of any nation.

These foundation blocks for building a healthy nation are still lacking in Nigeria hence, the country is still battling with poverty and its effects, such as, malnutrition and diseases on the lives of the vulnerable group like women and children.

This is, especially the situation with the North-east, where they are challenged by insecurity.

Also, the current economic hardship has further worsened the malnutrition level in the zone, thereby making investment in nutrition indispensable and more urgent than ever before, considering the devastating impact of acute malnutrition on the health and future of the children in the area, particularly those who are under the age of five years.

A visit to some Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Adamawa state recently, one of the states in the north-east , clearly brought to the fore, the urgency of attention needed by most under five children in the zone, as they were looking weak, pale and unable to do what their peers in other zones were doing, owing to severe acute malnutrition they faced.
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At Nanah Hasmau Primary Healthcare Centre, also a Community Management of Acute Malnutrition(CMAN) Centre in Yola South Local Government Area of the state, Mrs. Hadisa Abdullahi,who brought her seven months’ old baby boy for treatment, told The Daily Times that most of the children in her neighbourhood were suffering from acute malnutrition.

She said the little boy became sick when he was three months old. Her words: “ The baby is now seven months old, but he could neither seat nor crawl.

This is the first time I am bringing him to the hospital for treatment. My neighbour, whose daughter was also treated here of same problem, told me to come that after 8-12 weeks of treatment with Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and other medications that he will be fine.

“And as you can see, the health workers have attended to him and have also explained to me how to use the RUTF at home in addition to local foods rich in micronutrients like soya bean, guinea corn and groundnut ”, she said.

For Mrs. Rukayat Abdullahi, her 14-month-old Aisha was better now than how she was four weeks ago, before the commencement of RUTF medication as the baby was very weak.

“Aisha could neither seat nor crawl but now, the baby can do all of those activities with ease,’’ she said.

Also, Mrs. Saphia Mohammed , the mother of 11 month-old Husanna , told our correspondent that she nearly lost her to acute malnutrition save for the quick intervention of the health workers, when she rushed her to the hospital owing to the severity of her illness.

Mohammed who brought Husanna for medical examination said: “I thank God after five weeks of treatment, she has regained her health”
The list of malnourished children seeking treatment in the PHCs is endless, just as, each PHC, recorded not less than 15-20 new cases of acutely malnourished children every week.

Already, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), out of the 2.5m children suffering from malnutrition in Nigeria, only 500,000 has been treated so far as result of inadequate budgetary allocation to purchase RUTF, the major intervention for severe acute malnutrition.

Malnutrition, experts say, accounts for 45 per cent under-five mortality in Nigeria, making the country second highest contributor to the burden in the world.

To reverse the negative trend, UNICEF and some stakeholders highlighted the need to accelerate investment in nutrition, if the country is to break out of poverty and achieve sustainable economic development.

Speaking at a two-day media dialogue on child malnutrition organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Child Rights Information Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, held in Yola, Adamawa state recently, Mrs Philomena Irene, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Bauchi Zone, said investing in nutrition would yield a better result.

She stressed the need for more funding to treat the remaining two million acutely malnourished children in dire need of RUTF and other medications to come of the illness.

The theme of the dialogue was “Investing in Child’s Malnutrition for the Future”.

For Irene, prevention is better than cure because it takes only $5 to prevent malnutrition while $71 was required to treat each malnourished child.

According to her:“ Research and evidence have shown that investment in nutrition boosts the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country, because, nutrition in the first 1000 days of life of a child, from conception to 24 months is very important.”

Giving insight into the benefits of adequate nutrition in the first 1000 days of life of a child, Irene said: “ It is the time the child develops cognitively, physiologically; and that is when the brain develops.

Studies have shown that governments that invested in the period for children to have optimal foods and optimal nutrition, spent less when they became adults because these children grew up with better cognitive development.”

According to her, as result of such early investment in nutrition and intervention in the life of a child, governments spent less for the cure of non communicable diseases like, diabetes, hypertension and other forms of cancers.

Based on available research, Irene said one dollar investment in nutrition, brings $16 return.

She emphasised that the first 1000 days period provided mothers a window of opportunity to nurture a great generation in Nigeria and Africa by simply ensuring that their babies were exclusively breast fed in first six months of life.

And by also giving their babies foods rich in Vitamin A, Iron, Zinc and other micronutrients during complementary feeding to be able to grow out of diseases, poverty and poor educational attainment .

Experts say the consequences of malnutrition during the first 1000 days of life of a child is almost irreversible.

She therefore, urged the federal and state governments to invest in pregnant women, especially because of the gains of the first 1000 days in the life of the child.

Irene also enjoined the government to invest in infant and young feeding promotion, while appealing to mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding and key household practices like, hand washing with soap.

Calling for full commitment from all states of the federation in the campaign against child malnutrition in the country, Irene revealed that only four states, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi and Sokoto contributed fund in 2016 towards the purchase of RUTF, the major intervention for severe acute malnutrition.

To further nip child malnutrition in the bud, a state Nutrition Officer, Mrs Hawa Zookah, urged mothers to use the red type of guinea corn when preparing local foods for their babies after six months of exclusive breastfeeding because it is richer in micronutrients .

She also recommended that mothers should feed their babies with soya bean, crayfish, groundnut , fish, vegetables and palm oil for more energy and nutrients.

Also, Nutrition Focal Officer, at a CMAN centre in Yola South Local Government Area, Mrs Ummuli Ahmed, appealed to government to support UNICEF in the fight against child malnutrition, especially in the purchase of RUTF, adding that the number of children that required the treatment was on the increase.

She said: “We have a lot of mothers bringing their children for treatment because they have seen many children recover from malnutrition after treating them with RUTF.

We treat the children with RUTF and other medications for eight weeks. So, every week, they come to collect it .

Many children with acute malnutrition, have been treated with RUTF and they regained their health. The problem we are having is that RUTF is not enough for the number of children that needed them.

We thank UNICEF for their efforts; and we are begging government to help us.”

To further tackle the menace of child malnutrition, Past President of Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, also appealed that foods rich in Vitamin A, Iron, Zinc and other micronutrients be given to the child after six months, when complementary feeding is introduced until the child attains two years of age.