MALNUTRITION IN AFRICA

A medical practitioner, Dr. Tuyi Mebawondu has decried the high rate of death of Nigerian children from malnutrition which kills no fewer than 300,000 under-five children annually in the country, saying such deaths could be prevented.

 

In an exclusive interview with National Mirror recently, Dr. Mebawondu who works at Medway Hospital, Obalende, Lagos, disclosed that Nigeria ranks second in the world, after India, among countries with the highest number of deaths from malnutrition. He however described malnutrition as a disease of poor food distribution and poor knowledge of how food should be utilised, rather than being a disease resulting from lack of food as widely believed.

 

He noted that many cases of under-nutrition are still being reported in Nigerian hospitals, in addition to diarrhoea, chest and other infections which could predispose children to malnutrition.

 

“When such children are brought in, the first thing you see is that, the child can be wasted, is also irritable, has no appetite, lacks interest in everything. Such a baby does not want to talk to you, he maintains a high gaze and you can observe a change in the colour and texture of his skin.

 

“Other symptoms include frequent stooling, some could have patches, protruding abdomen while the rest of their body is thin and their hair is fluffy. All these signs show that they are under nourished,” he added.

 

Dr. Mebawondu declared that malnutrition could be prevented, even before the child is born, with good nutrition. According to him, the process should begin with the mother, during pregnancy, eating good food that will nourish the baby. Also, he further said, the woman must be taught during antenatal care about the kind of food to eat and the kind of food to feed the baby with. He added that the best way to treat malnutrition is to give adequate balance diet and to counsel the parent and pregnant women on food preservation.

 

By: Akanji Rukayat Abimbola

National Mirror News