TRIBUNE
Dr Foluso Balogun, a paediatrician at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has said that for the first time in many years, children with kwashiorkor are seen in his part of the country.
Kwashiorkor is a severe form of protein malnutrition. Children who eat diets low in caloric and protein are most likely to suffer from kwashiorkor. Infants and children are typically affected, usually from the time of weaning until age five. The illness is prevalent in areas of the world that are impoverished and have extremely high rates of starvation.
Dr Balogun who stressed that the occurrence is evidence that something is wrong told Saturday Tribune, “Last year, my paediatrician colleagues in the north were complaining that children were coming down with malnutrition. The implication of the economic reform is real; people are starving. It’s been a long time since we saw cases of Kwashiorkor; we are seeing it again.”
Dr Balogun said that malnutrition has long-term implications also for the girl child since it will cause stunting, therefore a delay in puberty since the adolescent girl is unable to attain the right weight at the appropriate time.
A child is said to be stunted if they are too short for their age, which is typically the result of starvation. It suggested that their development and progress have been impeded.
The United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF) said Nigeria has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent of children under five.
As of last year, 35 million children under five years of age suffered from malnourishment. Also, 12 million children had stunted growth, 3 million were wasting from excessive and rapid weight loss, and 23.5 million were anaemic.
A global hunger index ranked Nigeria 109th out of the 125th countries after scoring 28.3% in 2023. The Global Index rate is based on 4 indicators, namely, undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality.
Dr Balogun claimed that with the hunger situation in Nigeria, the high proportion of children that are stunted has further worsened, imparting them for life.
She added, “The majority of brain development occurs within the first five years of life. Children who suffer from malnutrition have lower IQs. As adults, they will inevitably be less productive.
“Malnutrition is like the masquerade that is behind the five common infections that you see in children, including malaria, measles, pneumonia, and diarrhoea. So, they are more susceptible to these infections since it lowers their body’s immunity. Additionally, a child who is malnourished has an increased risk of dying from these diseases.”
Furthermore, Dr. Balogun warned that if children continue to suffer from inadequate nutrition, Nigeria could not be able to meet the SDGs by 2030.
“SDG 3 addresses educational access. Right now, a lot of children are dropping out since schools resumed classes in September. School fees have gone up in practically every school. People’s resources are already stretched, even for survival. How many families are able to handle it? Thus, a lot of kids are quitting school at the moment.
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