Two to three children die every week due to malnutrition in Karamoja region

By Moses Ndhaye

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with the government has earmarked a campaign to screen children under five against malnutrition in the two districts of Moroto and Kabong.

This is after the 2022 food security and nutrition assessment report classified children in the two districts to be suffering from acute malnutrition standing at a prevalence rate of 21.9% in Moroto and Kabong at 19.6% respectively.

According to the Moroto District Nutrition Focal person, Charles Onyang about 22,000 children in the 9 districts of the Karamoja sub-region are suffering from acute malnutrition, a situation which has put the children’s life at stake.

He says, as of last week, 65 children had been admitted to the Moroto referral hospital.

However, according to Simon Ondoga based at the Moroto referral hospital, out of the 60 children admitted to the health facility 2 to 3 of the children die every week.

He cited the current insecurity coupled with the unprecedented drought that the region experienced this year as the Major cause of the problems facing the region.

The Zonal Head of UNICEF offices in the Karamoja region Rebecca Kwagala says the screening exercise kicks off on Thursday this week.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna