OMAN August 19. 2024 (Saba) - At least 77 million children and adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) suffer from some form of malnutrition due to crises, a UN organization warned on Monday.
According to AFP, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement that "at least 77 million children – or one in three – in the Middle East and North Africa suffer from malnutrition."
"55 million children in the region are overweight or obese, with these forms of malnutrition rising among school-age children in all 20 countries in the region," UNICEF said.
"One in three school-age children and adolescents are overweight and obese," while "another 24 million children are undernourished, including stunting, wasting and thinness."
Despite progress in reducing the prevalence of stunting (reduced height) in the past two decades, "the problem persists on a large scale, affecting ten million children under the age of five in the region," it added.
Malnutrition in the Middle East and North Africa "is a major challenge, occurring against a complex backdrop of ongoing crises, political instability, climate shocks and high food prices."
K.N
resource : Saba
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