Malnutrition affects one-third children amid virus pandemic

Physical growth of one-third children in Bangladesh is being hampered due to malnutrition, shows an international research, saying global COVID-19 infection intensifies it by rising poverty.

“The COVID-19 has affected the income of country’s 95 per cent families and the reduction of earning has created a threat to the nutrition intake of the growing children,” said FAO advisor professor Mizanul Haq Kazal in his keynote quoting the research findings at a webinar organised by Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) in the capital on Monday.

Around 51 per cent family’s incomes have reduced to near zero per cent, Haq said based on the research conducted by BRAC with the technical support from the FAO.

While three per cent families have no food, 16 per cent families have a stock of 1-3 days food and 22 per cent have a food bulk for 30 days or more.

In this situation, the research findings, however, suggested for intensified social protection programme by the government.

Chaired by PIB director general Zafar Wazed, the webinar also was addressed, among others, by FAO’s Meeting the Under-Nutrition Challenge Project’s chief technical advisor Naoki Minamiguchi and director (research) of Food Planning and Monitoring Unit of the food ministry Feroz Al Mahmud.

There is lack of awareness among the common people on selecting the balanced food, said the PIB DG, adding that though the rate of people suffering from malnutrition is declining because of economic development of the country, the number of malnutrition children is still higher.

Terming the social protection as one of the pillar of second country investment plan on nutrition sensitive food system, Naoki Minamiguchi said food adequacy, its availability and proper utilisation of food are necessary for maintaining food security.

National nutrition expert Wazia Khatun, Dhaka Tribune executive editor Reaz Ahmed, Daily Prothom Alo special correspondent Shishir Morol, Agriculture Reporter’s Forum president Ashraf Ali, Kaler Kantha deputy chief reporter Towfiq Maruf, Dainik Janakantha city editor Kauser Rahman and STV special correspondent Salauddin Ahmad Bablu, among others, attended the webinar.

PIB senior trainer Mohammad Abdul Mannan moderated the function.