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Malnutrition is the primary cause for children’s death in Northern Nigeria

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition is the prime reason for death of 50 per cent of children of under-five and women in Nigeria and mainly in the northern part of the country.

Malnourished child

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition is the prime reason for death of 50 per cent of children of under-five and women in Nigeria and mainly in the northern part of the country.

At a one day interactive meeting with media chief executives on nutrition which was co-hosted by Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) and UNICEF, Dr. Florence Oni, a nutrition specialist who was represented by Susan Adeyemi presented a paper titled, ‘Nutrition Situation in Northern Nigeria with Emphasis on Kaduna State’ and said that the North West accounts for 53 per cent malnutrition according to Multiple Indicator Cluster Surrey (MICS).

Malnutrition is a broad term which refers to both under nutrition and over nutrition. Individuals suffer from malnutrition if their diet does not provide them will adequate calories and proteins for maintenance and growth or they cannot fully utilize the food they eat due to illness.

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People are malnourished or suffer from over nutrition if they consume too many calories. It can also be defined as the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients. Several disorders may develop as a result of malnutrition depending on the type of nutrients that are lacking or have been consumed in excess. According to World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is the gravest single threat to global public health.

Dr. Oni further disclosed that millions of children all over the world die from preventable causes and eight children under five die each and among them two are new-born.

She also explained that malnutrition also leads to stunted growth in children during his early days and that a stunted child has stunted mental capacity and such children generally operate at sub-optimal level-less Intelligent Quo.

Being a developing country Nigeria is plagued by a number of social evils and it will take the country many years to resolve them. While children are regarded as the future of any Nation and taking care of them and their mothers will go a long way in enhancing its future.

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