Alarming: ‘Pakistan 3rd on number of children with stunted growth’

LAHORE:  

“Pakistan has the third highest number of children with stunted growth,” nutritionist Sohaib Zaidi said on Saturday.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, he said socio-cultural, economic and political environment had an impact on a child’s heath. He said 15 per cent children in Pakistan suffered from acute malnutrition which he said was one of the leading causes of death among them. He said lack of safe drinking water was one of the reasons for stunted growth. “Malnutrition leads to the weakening of a child’s immune system leaving him vulnerable to various diseases,” Zaidi said. “As many as 5.9 million children under five years of age died across the world in 2015. Eighty-three per cent of the deaths were caused by infections, neonatal or nutritional conditions.”

Akhlaq Ali Khan, a Health Department spokesman, said the provincial government was taking steps to deal with malnutrition and stunted growth. He said health workers had been educating people about children’s health. The government has established two Children Hospitals in Multan and Faisalabad, he said. He said malnutrition was linked to poverty. “Lack of healthy diet can cause the condition.” He said health units should be set up in rural areas to cure such children.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2016.