45 children die from malnutrition: Malawi food shortage

Severe malnutrition has killed 45 under-five children in Chikwawa district in the Lower Shire as statistics also indicate that various public facilities there admitted 4, 137 children from January to June this year.

State of malnourished children
State of malnourished children

Chikwawa Health office spokesperson Settie Piriminta confirmed and attributed the high cases of malnutrition to acute food shortage and delays by parents to take malnourished children to hospital.

Piriminta added that lack of safe drinking water and natural hazards like floods are also to blame for the escalating cases.

“It is sad that we continue to receive high number of malnourished children,” complained Piriminta.

From January to June this year, the Nutrition Rehabilitation unit attended to 250 children with severe acute malnutrition with medical complications, 784 children with severe acute malnutrition without medical complications and 3, 103 children with moderate acute malnutrition admitted in supplementary feeding program.

Piriminta explained that it was worrisome that people waste time in consulting traditional doctors instead of rushing with these sick children to health facilities.

“We are currently carrying out several sensitization meetings where among others we are encouraging communities to visit health facilities with sick children in time,” said the hospital spokesperson.

Visiting the nutrition unit at the hospital, one would note that the place has limited space with old rooms. The unit has only twelve beds which make it difficult to admit a growing number of patients they receive on daily basis.

Piriminta then called on well wishers to support the nutrition rehabilitation unit with adequate resources in order to provide better services to these malnourished children.

But Health authorities say local leaders have to control the selling of green maize and other items like banana, sweet potatoes, tomato and cassava saying failure to do so will make families to continue experiencing acute food shortage.

Recently, one of the agriculture authorities in Chikwawa, Basten Chilembwe said people from the shire valley must learn to eat from their produce citing many people had an opportunity to produce more from their fields but were unable to use them instead they resorted to selling them even before they were matured enough.

Chilembwe who is the Agriculture Extension Development Coordinator for Mbewe Extension Planning Area concurred with Sydney Labeka, District Health Surveillance Supervisor for Chikwawa district saying it was worrisome that issues of malnutrition were registering high numbers when people from the lower states had all to eat for one’s good health.

“While commending that people of Chikwawa have gone back to their fields in the aftermath of the January devastating floods and have replanted maize and other crops that are doing better in their farms, they should also learn to eat them.

“Let’s remove the business mind we have held for some time. It is worrisome that we are blessed with the water that enable us do the irrigation farming almost all year round. People from east bank side, those in the west as well as those around Kamuzu Bridge must not sell all they have produced from their farms,” he said.

He said the farms produce crops such as tomatoes, vegetables, maize, bananas and many others and it was necessary that people used them in their daily foods instead of just focusing on money adding farming needed health people for positive results.

The higher cases of malnutrition are happening when many organizations and government departments have been running food security interventions to ensure that people are food secured at household level.

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ujeni
ujeni
9 years ago

A peter boma nde lakuvutanitu. kufa kwa ana awa magazzi awo alimmanja mwanu. apanso mwati sukulu anthu azilipira, jc std 8 wachotsa . apa nd mwatsegula makomo onse a mavuto mzdiko lino . muuti malata cement subsidy kodi anthu adya cementyo nde malatawo.

apatu mukutiuza kuti aziphunzira ndi anthu anan olemera,people are failing to pay k5000 ya ku community nde mwati k35 kaya k55 haaaa A peter mwataya mtundu wa a malawi. ndikuuzani ana ambiri sapita ku xul. ngati ndikunama muzandifune.

ndege
ndege
9 years ago

Mawu

Lero
Lero
9 years ago

In the same Country 300Million party for one day. 300 Million to give Mbendera for civic education. 100 people accompanying a president from a poor Country to US. Its ok for those kids to die as long as their business is as usual. Thank you all those on those positions. If you cannot speak for the oppressed God can use anything to bring the message across.

Dikisan
9 years ago

A Malawi mwayamba kuziwona ndi kuzigwira. Masankho anu ndi amenenwo. Peter Woyee. 2019 WO!! Mudzamusankhaso chifukwa cha dyele lanu. Anthu okanika inu. Njala ikukutumulani. Ndipo muva m’mbembe. Uku ndikuyamba chabe. Zambiri muziwonanga!

enoch
enoch
9 years ago

RIP inocent chidren

Isaac
Isaac
9 years ago

Dziko ndiwathu ndalama ndiwawo. Sitidaziimilebe patoka tipitirira kufa ainiwake akusakaza chuma ku UN

Alex beu
9 years ago

anthu andale nkhani ndikuba basi alibe mtima othandiza amw

chimwemwe
chimwemwe
9 years ago

Government please address this as in the 21st century this is not acceptable. Donors where are you we see you in papers telling do this do that its time take your moral responsibility and start helping poeple, Donors dont punish poor malawians for cashgate punish those who did.

Charombanthu
Charombanthu
9 years ago

Children are dying of malnutrition and our leaders are enjoying themselves (mapwevupwevu) in New York. Oh God deliver us from this evil. Our priorities are all upside down. Big and rich nations are sending very few delegates to this forum and poor Malawi thinks otherwise. We can afford to send over 100 delegates at the expense of these poor souls who are dying like flies….

Exiled Soul's
Exiled Soul's
9 years ago

Am i the only one here thinks that this nation should be put up for auction kkkkkk coz I don’t think adoption can be successful kkkkkk

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