Malnutrition: Kaduna Records 1,423 Deaths In 6 Years – Reports

Kaduna Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP) has disclosed that malnutrition has claimed 1,423 lives in the state from 2017 to date.

The project manager of KADENAP, Umar Usman Bambale, disclosed this yesterday at Agenda for Media Parley on Nutrition in Kaduna.

He said, “In 2017 malnutrition claimed 672 lives, in 2018, it claimed 221, in 2019,  323  died, in 2020, 142, in 2021 we lost 58 lives and from January to date, we recorded 7 death”.

Bambale also disclosed that from 2017 to date, not less than one billion Naira has been spent on treating malnourished children in Kaduna State.

He explained that the funds were expended on treating malnourished children with therapeutic foods.

“From 2017 to date, the state has treated over 82,000 children suffering malnutrition. With support from UNICEF and Alive and Thrive, the state was able to reach 500,000 people with nutrition messages”.

The nutrition specialist UNICEF, Kaduna State office, Chinwe Ezeife lamented that insecurity  has distorted the farming seasons, thereby making food availability not as adequate as they would want. She also disclosed that micro-nutrient deficiency is also a major killer.

Ezeife therefore commended the Kaduna State government, saying that they are highly committed to nutrition programs in the state.

On her part, nutrition specialist, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), Hajia Hauwa Usman noted that the project is aimed at reducing malnutrition in Kaduna State. She disclosed that over 100,000 children have been enriched, saying that they are committed to improving nutritional status of children and pregnant women.