Somalia: Malnutrition killing hundreds of children, UN says

 The fifth drought in as many years has pushed Somalia to the brink and raised fears of a deadly famine. Currently, hundreds of children have died from severe malnutrition. About 730 children have died in feeding centers around Somalia this year, the UN children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.

Nutrition centers help children suffering from severe malnutrition. The announcement came a day after the UN warned of imminent famine in the Horn of Africa. The region is facing its fifth consecutive monsoon season. "Malnutrition has reached unprecedented levels," said Wafa Said, UNICEF representative in Somalia.

Children are particularly vulnerable to hunger
Between January and July of this year, "about 730 children reportedly died in feeding centers across the country," Said said.

He spoke to journalists in Geneva via video link from Mogadishu. This represents less than one percent of hospitalized children who recovered and were discharged.

The prices that aid groups pay for emergency water supplies have also increased by 55 to 85 percent since the beginning of the year, UNICEF said. Officials said violence by the Islamist group al-Shabaab was partly to blame. According to a UNICEF representative, around 1.5 million children are at risk of severe malnutrition. Half of them are under five years old.

He added: 385,000 children need treatment for severe malnutrition. "We cannot wait to act," WFP tells DW
DW spoke with Peter Wilton of the UN's World Food Program (WFP) after his visit to the country.

Wilton warned that starvation would "take the most vulnerable first." And they are little children. These are old people. Disabled people These are people who are internally displaced by the conflict."

"We cannot wait for the famine declaration to take effect," said a WFP official. "

"This is an extremely severe drought, but Somalia is very prone to droughts, floods, tropical cyclones," Wilton told DW. Drought plunges Somalia into crisis
Somalia is on the brink of its second famine in a decade as drought raises global food prices.

Said explained on Tuesday that there is a water and sanitation crisis as water sources are drying up due to the drought. He said: Many of them have dried up due to overuse and we need emergency water for about 4.5 million people.

Saeed says, "No matter how much food a child is malnourished, if they don't have access to clean water, they can't recover." He also warned of the risk of disease transmission among severely malnourished children.

The United Nations has called on world leaders to respond to the crisis before it is too late to avoid a repeat of the deadly famine in the region in 2011. UN agencies have warned that half of Somalia's population is facing critical famine conditions, and that it will also affect people living in Kenya and Ethiopia.

 

Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/somalia-malnutrition-killing-hundreds-of-children-un-says/a-63034684