Deaths due to malnutrition highest among children in Pakistan: Report

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Unhygienic atmosphere and lack of family planning are attributed to malnutrition and early death among children in Pakistan.

Malnutrition in children and mothers is a serious issue in many developing countries. Pakistan has not been faring any better as we regularly read reports about deaths that are mostly the result of malnutrition, according to Dawn.

Earlier, the problem in Pakistan is that a large number of infants somehow do not get the required vaccination at appropriate intervals. There is also a need to collect reliable data from across Pakistan from both government and private clinics and health facilities as most data from private hospitals do not reach the government record.

Further, there are at least two strategies that both federal and provincial governments must follow. Reducing malnutrition among children and mothers should be the top priority of all concerned departments and ministries, according to Dawn.
Also, an expanded programme of vaccinating children as and when they turn six, 10, and 14 months old will help as recommended by World Health Organization.

According to some estimates, approximately 90,000 children die annually in Pakistan due to the pneumonia virus alone that affects malnourished children more than healthy children. The coverage of immunization will not help much if children and mothers lack the required nutrition during prenatal and post-natal years, according to Dawn.

Further, the absence of prenatal care and traditional delivery methods compound the problem and become the main contributing factors in this problem.

Recent surges in inflation and high prices of essential food items have added to the malnutrition among children and mothers, according to News International. (ANI)