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.”
"Female foeticide is a sin. So what if the sinner is a Hindu. My government has taken a number of steps (to stop this practice). Daughters, mothers, sisters should be protected. One should not consider religion. Mothers and sisters should be respected. We have raised the issue firmly.
Comments
@boppanna
At least our prophet married and kept her as a wife........dint leave her in forest after doubting the birth of own wife like the character RAma did in Ramayana after bringing sita from ravana Lanka..... a god doubting own wife....come on..
it is CD Team responsibility to track his record, details and handover to authorised people.
he don't have that much dare to sit at KSA and bark. May be jobless and gossiping with ladies. May be sitting somewhere in slum area and kept family away..
CD Team, please we hereby request you to handover this comments of bopanna and track his comments through which website/location he used and handover to authorised people for further action.
thanks u
@Bopanna KSA
By giving that statement. Don't think u will get away from KSA Govt.
Ur each and every statement might be monitoring. So be careful. rest of ur life might be in jail.
@boppanna
If KSA Comes to know and track u. Then u will be in trouble. They might hang u.
So be careful. Before commenting read the history. U will cry in tears.
Can't allow Muslim woman to suffer...... but can allow rapes ...murders ..and attack on Muslim women in communal violence...specially in Gujarat. And other women of India suffering from liquor drunk husband's and murders...... can allow tobacco products killing their husbands from cancer......can you ban this if you have guts...? Nuts will come in mouth
bopanna
don't take any messengers of Allah's name to insult..you may face disaster soon so be careful and think about your family..
If you want to know about reason why PROPHET MUHAMMED SALLAHU ALAIHIWA SALLAM married HAZRAT AYESHA RADIYALLAHU ANHA, study the history, reason etc. if not send me your email details will share the link so that you can go through it to get better treatment. Also study about his all marriages and realise what you uttered..
your LORD KRISHNA, why he married countless women? have you gone through it? their ages and reasons? leave it ..just look back the profile of your forefathers and study which is more than enough for you to understand and get proper right knowledge..
Just read news about Mohammad Aslam who is a follower of religion of peace .....
Showing his \mardaangi\""
# 25 Bopanna
Bopaana 100% sure you are not born Halal, any way you are the resident of Hell, Like Abu Jahal, Wait for your miss deed speaking ill about Our Holy Prophet Saws, Now Allah will Decree his punishment !
Sooner or Later !
You jokers are complaining about Modi ? Let's start talking about your \Prophet\" - what age was he when he married Aisha ?
He was 53 and Aisha was 6 ! What do you call that behavior ?
Do Kaudi ka Dimaag naheen hai aur sikhane chale aye ..."
Wish he would have realised when he released Babu Bajrangi from jail (who slit wombs of women and killed women & Feotus)
U ruined ur wife's life and career by not giving talaq in young days. And never stayed with her.
Feels sorry for ur wife.
PM Modi is concerned about muslim women..he is not concerned about his own wife...He killed more than 3000 muslims. He is simply implementing RSS agenda...we are now in end times. there will be a big disaster in the world. nobody might have seen and heard that kind of man made disaster...may allah protect our emaan....Ameen.
Super basavaraj ...entha comment ...superb kanree....yelli rikacha and faizal bhai message illa ...mostly burqa hudukta irbeku Mangalore rally nalli participate madlikke .. Yesterday a Hindu gal was brutally raped for more than 20 days in shimoga ...all are perfect manual followers. Haha ....in that many were madrasa students who perfected Quran and ejected for 50 days ... This shows how this third rated jihadis treat women ....yelree faizhal Bhai banreee Johnny walker haakistini banree. ...
What a drama PM! You could have got job in movies! ANSWER US ABOUT KASHMIR! His party along with media is deviating the current heated crisis of kashmir because you dont have a SOLUTION! WE MUSLIM WOMEN ARE VERY SAFE BECAUSE OF THE RIGHTS OUR RELIGION HAS GIVEN US & he needn't show us any pity..if he really want to help us..WE ARE ACTUALLY struggling for RIGHTS TO WEAR HIJAB..ALLOW US!
Modi is the perfect follower of Rama. He threw his wife into fire, she came unhurt, he drove her to the forest, she bore two children, he tried to kill her children, he lost the fight, finally he forced his wife to commit suicide. Modi driven his wife out as she was not beautiful, he neither divorced nor accepted her as his wife - a Trishanku Naraka (hell life in this world) a gift for his wife. what we can expect from a person who cant be a MAN to his wife. Old man's crocodile tears and monkey joke! Laugh loudly!!
Narendra Modi,
Yes Muslim's are well aware of Jews n their policy. And their interaction behind Muslims. Even Jews know very well they cannot come over Islam . You rss just now started hold Jews tail n starred to call jew community as your father. Remember you even don't know how they will remove u all from the universe. So it is better to follow Jews training n not to play with Islam religion.
Jai Hind!
Narendra Mode,
Yes Muslim's are well aware of Jews n their policy. And their intration behind Muslims. Even Jews know very well they cannot come over Islam . You rss just now started hold Jews tail n starred to call jew community as your father. Remembe you even don't know how they will remove u all from the universe. So it is better to follow Jews training n not to play with Islam religion.
Jai Hind!
Dis guy has no ability of looking after his own wife and protecting her. Now duniya badalne chala g...du
Any comments on ua own Wife???
Dear Modiji
When you was the CM of Gujarath how many lives of muslim women you have destroyed in the riots
Dear Modi Ji.
Kindly take a decision about your own one and only Wife Jashoda ben. Please humble request.
When our honorable PM was the CM of Gujarat hundreds of mothers,sisters and teenage girls raped and tortured publicly. That time he did't show any respect and justice to the victim of Muslim women's and culprits are not punished. Now he is acting crocodile tears in the name of protection and justice to Muslim Women. He is fooling the Muslim community.
@ #9 Basavaraja is very Familiar with CAT WALK.
Yesterday there was a rally in UP ...nearly 75% participants were women ...but it was not the case. . Madrasa students and mullahs took their wives burkha and participated in rally ..by looking at their cat walk we could make out
Really interesting. Jashodhaben's life also is ruined by triple RTI talaq.
Sirji, pehle hamara problem solve karo. Baadme beary yonka peeche jao. Come on yaar...Mardangi dikhao...
Where were u mr modi when Muslim pregnant women's were being killed during anti Muslim genocide in gujarath 2002 by ur bjp and bajrang dal activists?
What about joshadabein. Both are One And the same.
Now ur worried. Where were u when Muslim girls where murdered during Gujarati riots.
First look at your wife.
you ruined your wife.
Real Muslims never ruin their women.
first u think about your wife, other women will be fine.
Thanks coastaldigest for remembering his life's love story.
first think about your wife she wasted her precious time of her life. then think about other women's.
Modi loves selfie......he has his wife in Gujrath....he even did not give single talak her....ignoring her.....
Muslims wont agree about his formula....he has to listen to all ulemas.....they will give him a best suggestion.....
Modi is ignorant about Islamic way of life.....
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