Somalia facing child malnutrition deaths ‘on a scale not seen in half a century’: UN

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Drought-ravaged Somalia could soon see “the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century,” the UN has warned, calling for greater action and funding from the international community.

“Today in Somalia, every single minute of every single day, a child is admitted to a health facility for treatment of severe acute malnutrition,” James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson, said at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

“The latest admission rates from August show 44,000 children admitted with severe acute malnutrition. That is a child per minute.”

With severely malnourished children up to 11 times more likely to die of diarrhea and measles, he warned that Somalia “is on the brink of a tragedy at a scale not seen in decades.”

He said the current situation in Somalia is worse than the 2011 famine that claimed some 260,000 lives.

“Long-term funding is part of the critical change needed to prevent famine from happening, again, and again. For instance, UNICEF’s three-year appeal to help families and their communities build resilience in the Horn of Africa region is currently just 3% funded,” he said.

“Without greater action and investment, we are facing the death of children on a scale not seen in half a century.”