Nutrition screening of a good number of babies in Balukhali, Jamtoli and Thangkhali refugee camps in coastal Cox’s Bazar district have revealed that 11 per cent children there are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
“This data is alarmingly high. Although the sample size is only a fraction of all the children under five in the camps, even one child with SAM puts us one step closer to a higher mortality rate,” said World Vision Bangladesh Director Fred Witteveen.
Renowned child-focused organisation World Vision conducted the seven-week assessment recently ending in mid-December and it comprised the screening of 1,862 children, of which 199 (11 per cent) kids were detected with SAM.
Severe acute malnutrition, the most visible and extreme form of undernutrition, is one of the world’s leading causes of death among children aged under five.
Based on joint aid agency data, more than 35,000 children were diagnosed with SAM, 18,083 have been admitted to therapeutic feeding centres for treatment while close to 17,000 children are still in need of treatment.
A recent multi-agency emergency nutrition assessment showed the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) among all children 6-59 months of age at 24 per cent.
The World Health Organisation threshold for declaring a nutrition emergency is 15 per cent.
Poor access to clean water and improved sanitation can hurt a child’s nutritional status through diarrhoeal diseases and intestinal infections.
According to a the December 3 report in Cox’s Bazar, more than half a million people do not have adequate access to clean water and hygienic sanitation in and around the camps.
Donors have funded only 23 per cent of what is needed to provide 1.2 million people with sufficient water and basic sanitation.