3.4million Suffer Malnutrition In North-East, Says UN

About 3.4million people in the North East are facing a high probability of starvation due to the food crisis triggered by the Boko Haram-induced unrest in the region.

This is contained in a reported drawn up by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) for September.

According to the report, the nutrition needs of most of these people are immediate and getting across to them is proving difficult.

Of the over 3 million affected, 2.7 million people were targeted for immediate intervention, but only 936,200 people were reached with nutrition support within the period under review.

The report indicates that three Stabilisation Centres were set up at Damboa, Dikwa and Ngala Local Government Areas to enhance management of acute malnutrition.

It says some 60 health personnel were also trained in Borno and Yobe States to enhance operations at the stabilisation centres.

The UN agency added that effective modalities were evolved to streamline the Infant and Young Child Feeding scheme with the Blanket Supplementary Feeding and Emergency Food Distribution programmes to control the scourge.

It adds that the UN in collaboration with humanitarian partners had decentralized activities in 8 local government areas of Borno State to combat malnutrition.

The report lists the affected areas as Damasak; Ngala, Dikwa, Bama, Gwoza, Kukawa, Kala-Balge, Gubio, Nganzai and Guzamala.

“The progress toward key indicators is on track except for the management of Severe Acute Malnutrition with medical complications, which remain hampered by the unavailability of services, especially in the newly accessible areas.

“Lack of access to most areas has been the impediment in providing life-saving nutrition support to those in need.

“Nutrition activities are limited to few areas where humanitarian actors have access and where healthcare structures are in place,” it stated.

The report points out that about 6.5 million U.S. dollars was required to implement five projects and facilitate the smooth running of the nutrition support services in the affected communities.

It disclosed that a maternal and child health week exercise would be conducted to contain malnutrition in the war-ravaged region.

OCHA said that some of the activities line up for the campaign included supplementation of micro-nutrients deficiency, screening and referral of under-5 children.

“The campaign is designed to help children who were not assisted under the routine exercises to achieve its target”, adding that mobile outreach is critical in the campaign.