Hounde, Jul 28: Coronavirus and its restrictions are pushing already hungry communities over the edge, killing an estimated 10,000 more young children a month as meager farms are cut off from markets and villages are isolated from food and medical aid, the United Nations warned Monday.
In the call to action shared with The Associated Press ahead of publication, four UN agencies warned that growing malnutrition would have long-term consequences, transforming individual tragedies into a generational catastrophe.
Hunger is already stalking Haboue Solange Boue, an infant from Burkina Faso who lost half her former body weight of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) in just a month. Coronavirus restrictions closed the markets, and her family sold fewer vegetables. Her mother was too malnourished to nurse.
“My child,” Danssanin Lanizou whispered, choking back tears as she unwrapped a blanket to reveal her baby's protruding ribs.
More than 550,000 additional children each month are being struck by what is called wasting, according to the UN — malnutrition that manifests in spindly limbs and distended bellies. Over a year, that's up 6.7 million from last year's total of 47 million. Wasting and stunting can permanently damage children physically and mentally.
“The food security effects of the COVID crisis are going to reflect many years from now,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, the WHO head of nutrition. “There is going to be a societal effect.”
From Latin America to South Asia to sub-Saharan Africa, more poor families than ever are staring down a future without enough food.
In April, World Food Program head David Beasley warned that the coronavirus economy would cause global famines “of biblical proportions” this year. There are different stages of what is known as food insecurity; famine is officially declared when, along with other measures, 30% of the population suffers from wasting.
The World Food Program estimated in February that one Venezuelan in three was already going hungry, as inflation rendered salaries nearly worthless and forced millions to flee abroad. Then the virus arrived.
“Every day we receive a malnourished child,” said Dr. Francisco Nieto, who works in a hospital in the border state of Tachira.
In May, Nieto recalled, after two months of quarantine, 18-month-old twins arrived with bodies bloated from malnutrition. The children's mother was jobless and living with her own mother. She told the doctor she fed them only a simple drink made with boiled bananas.
“Not even a cracker? Some chicken?” he asked.
“Nothing,” the children's grandmother responded. By the time the doctor saw them, it was too late: One boy died eight days later.
The leaders of four international agencies — the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization — have called for at least dollar 2.4 billion immediately to address global hunger.
But even more than lack of money, restrictions on movement have prevented families from seeking treatment, said Victor Aguayo, the head of UNICEF's nutrition program.
“By having schools closed, by having primary health care services disrupted, by having nutritional programs dysfunctional, we are also creating harm,” Aguayo said. He cited as an example the near-global suspension of Vitamin A supplements, which are a crucial way to bolster developing immune systems.
In Afghanistan, movement restrictions prevent families from bringing their malnourished children to hospitals for food and aid just when they need it most. The Indira Gandhi hospital in the capital, Kabul, has seen only three or four malnourished children, said specialist Nematullah Amiri. Last year, there were 10 times as many.
Because the children don't come in, there's no way to know for certain the scale of the problem, but a recent study by Johns Hopkins University indicated an additional 13,000 Afghans younger than 5 could die.
Afghanistan is now in a red zone of hunger, with severe childhood malnutrition spiking from 690,000 in January to 780,000 — a 13% increase, according to UNICEF.
In Yemen, restrictions on movement have blocked aid distribution, along with the stalling of salaries and price hikes. The Arab world's poorest country is suffering further from a fall in remittances and a drop in funding from humanitarian agencies.
Yemen is now on the brink of famine, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, which uses surveys, satellite data and weather mapping to pinpoint places most in need.
Some of the worst hunger still occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. In Sudan, 9.6 million people live from one meal to the next — a 65% increase from the same time last year.
Lockdowns across Sudanese provinces, as around the world, have dried up work and incomes for millions. With inflation hitting 136%, prices for basic goods have more than tripled.
“It has never been easy but now we are starving, eating grass, weeds, just plants from the earth,” said Ibrahim Youssef, director of the Kalma camp for internally displaced people in war-ravaged south Darfur.
Adam Haroun, an official in the Krinding camp in west Darfur, recorded nine deaths linked with malnutrition, otherwise a rare occurrence, over the past two months — five newborns and four older adults, he said.
Before the pandemic and lockdown, the Abdullah family ate three meals a day, sometimes with bread, or they'd add butter to porridge. Now they are down to just one meal of “millet porridge” — water mixed with grain. Zakaria Yehia Abdullah, a farmer now at Krinding, said the hunger is showing “in my children's faces.”
“I don't have the basics I need to survive,” said the 67-year-old, who who hasn't worked the fields since April. “That means the 10 people counting on me can't survive either.”
Speaking to media persons here on Wednesday, he said that the Karnataka state is turning into a safe haven for terrorists and the police must arrest the culprits. He said, he was also threatened and attacked several times.
Comments
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....
We heard this many times
and many people were fooled in the beginning.
and many people still believed again & again.
and a lot of FOOLS still believe it again and again.
Dear FOOLS
Please use your intellect and dont FOOLs yourself from the FOOLs who make such statements to hide their deception.
\Stop Politics of Hate\" The upcoming Campaign of PFI.
Mr.Pratap Simha ( huli, karadi, chirathe, whatever you are)
For your kind knowledge this time Popular Front Expose you Badly..!!
#I am with Popular Front"
Oh My godse.. Jayanna Quarter parth japley.. You are fit to drink that and talk all nonsense. :D Grow up read your books and learn sanskrit and understand what your religion advises.. Ad bittu u sit up get up antha yakappa helthiya.. Swalpa samadana irli guruwe illadrey chaddi galu ninannu hudki barbahudu praveenannu hundkond banda hagey.
Dear Pratap, You won the election because of them. Don't forget the help. Or else A H Vishwanath will won the battle.
Jayaraj.....be cool.....dont spoil your health, by increasing the BP......your help is required to keep Meat bag in Naga Bana ....Pramod Muthalik is badly in need of you .... He will pay 30 laks to start the riots ....
Jayaraj Madekieri well said, he is real lion not human so he should be in zoo or in forest...
Jayarajanna you RSS Criminal Looters speaking about peace in HINDUSTAN!!!!!!!you Buffoons Fantastic citizen of Hindustan.
Great speaking to back up of Chilli branded Master Criminal Pratap no legal right, let him resign his position, 'Every Dogs gets his own Time\ Master Jayarajanna."
@abdul ahad just shut up!!! what is your organisation up to, will demolish in single minute, we always wanted peace in our country. but the man like you always dominating us in every standpoint. what u do if someone coming to your home and bossing u. will
It was during the time of 1998 i remember many innocent Muslims were killed in anti muslim riots across mangalore at that time there were no organisation came forward to resist against the rioters only all believed in police, administration and the so called Secular political party leaders, but no one came for saving the lives of innocent people. Alhumdulillah today because of some muslim group's efforts and continues resistance communal riots reduced drastically.!!!
Jayaraj, where were you when Modi visited Pakistan to make friendship with them and your own Ravishankar said \Pakistan Zindabad\", did anyone tried to put sedition charges against him....you guys as always talk rubbish and garbage...."
Jayaraj, just shut up!
We have seen a lot of unrest and unpleasant condition due to Bajrangies and other sangh pariwar terrorism activities....has government planned to ban these outfits....
Due to Pfi and kfd, communal forces facing setback across india. Long live pfi, kfd.
@sk u shut your mouth, its none of your business. u people always support antinational activities like now its going on ramya's issue. you are the first one to support this all the time.
Ryan DCosta .....what made you to stop naming the every groups to be banned ???????.....
What Happend Prathap ? Is there any election nearby ? I doubt so, coz you open up only when there is election or allegations on your Chaddis. Otherwise people at mysore dont even remember you are an elected MP.
Mr.Pratap
Couple of days back members of one of the famous terrorist organisation i.e Bajarangdal and VHP murdered Praveen poojary in the name of GOW rakhshaks. Where were you that time??? Why didn't you make any press conference and tell government to Ban BD & VHP.
My suggestion is to you that if government of India BAN BD,RSS,VHP,RS then automatically peace will establish.
So PFI on right track. Chances of BJP and chaddi parivaar are minimizing to create communal violence and violation of harmony in State.
So finally this Simha accepted that PFI is the big threat of BJP and Chaddi parivaar.
Why only PFI,KFD Ban all RSS,BD,VHP,Nakali Gou Rakshaka, all should be banned.
The person who belongs to terrorist group is speaking about terror... good joke...
NO PFI or KFD person caught in terror attack but its clear that RSS & BJP workers caught in so many terror attack in India & preparing bomb, explosives.... RSS is taking our India to terror hub & spoiling harmony among people.....
public should unite against such organisation & stop electing person as our representative who spread hatred among communities... Government should arrest all RSS chaddis who are involved in illegal activities & hang them....
yes absolutely well said mr. pratap, not only karnataka the whole country is turning into a safe haven for saffron terrorists like rss, srs, bd, vhp, even student wing too like abvp.
recently we heard so many incidents like babri to dadri, minorities to dalits, human to animal, etc.etc. who done these atrocities pfi, kfd or rss, bd,vhp????
mr. pratap, as a mp did u raised any single voice in the parliament? regarding the above mentioned issue? no you dont why? because it was done by your saffron terrorists. shame on you. people have voted you to talk their problems in the parliament no to bark in the society. better you to resign from mp and serve the society to maintain peace and harmony.
Super Simhaji well said, your are the real lion of our state.
Every group should be banned. not only pfi,kfd. Terrorist are there in every group.
Your sanghi's atrocities have grown uncontrolled. You people are imposing your lifestyle on others.
These groups are formed too defend victims of your atrocities they are doing good job in helping all needy hands.
First of all your dirty mined groups should be eliminated.
then automatically every feed fending group will relax voluntarily
Lol.. Naya bander sheher mey.. Abey beta pehley thu apni bageecha mey dekh aur samja khar kitna ghand hey tujmey.. Pata poster nikhla bander :D
Getting upset after the heinous murders of Praveen poojary, harish, Baliga, Prashant , many school girls.... Has to make some bow,bow... ..for publicity .....Shameless creatures ....
HAHAHAHA....
Ulta chor kotwal ku daante!!!!
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