Pakistan, 11 other countries grapple with malnutrition, 2 million children at risk globally: UNICEF

New York [US], October 16 : UNICEF on Tuesday warned of a devastating crisis, and said that nearly two million children are suffering from severe wasting, or severe acute malnutrition.
It said that the children are facing a heightened risk of death due to severe funding shortages for life-saving Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in 12 countries, including Pakistan.
Pakistan is facing a critical shortage of RUTF, with UNICEF warning that the country's stock may run out by mid-2025.
"It is estimated that funding shortages for RUTF are leaving nearly two million children at risk of not receiving treatment in the 12 hardest-hit countries. Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Chad are either already experiencing or imminently facing stockouts of RUTF, while Cameroon, Pakistan, Sudan, Madagascar, South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda could run out of stock by mid-2025," UNICEF said.
Levels of severe wasting in children under five years remain gravely high in several countries, fueled by conflict, economic shocks and climate crises. Children suffering from wasting, which is caused by a lack of nutritious and safe foods and repeated bouts of disease, are dangerously thin and their immune systems are weak, leaving them vulnerable to growth failure, poor development, and death, according to UNICEF.
Victor Aguayo, UNICEF's Director of Child Nutrition and Development, called for an immediate action to save the lives of approximately two million children who are struggling against severe malnutrition.
"In the past two years an unprecedented global response has allowed the scale-up of nutrition programmes to contain child wasting and its associated mortality in countries severely affected by conflict, climate and economic shocks, and the resulting maternal and child nutrition crisis," Aguayo said.
"But urgent action is needed now to save the lives of nearly two million children who are fighting this silent killer," he added.
To address the issue, UNICEF called for USD165 million in a renewed 'No Time to Waste 2024 Update and Call to Urgent Action,' to fund therapeutic feeding, treatment and care for the two million children at-risk of death due to critical shortages of RUTF.
Notably, UNICEF in 2022 launched the "No Time to Waste Acceleration Plan," aimed at addressing severe malnutrition for nearly 8 million children across 15 affected countries.