Childhood malnutrition in Haiti spikes amid Pandemic: UNICEF

Severe acute childhood malnutrition is set to more than double this year compared with last.

Severe acute childhood malnutrition is expected to more than double this year in Haiti as the country struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, a spike in violence, and dwindling resources, according to a report from the United Nation’s children’s fund (UNICEF). More than 86,000 children under the age of 5 could be affected, compared with 41,000 reported last year, according to Jean Gough, UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Severe acute malnutrition is considered a life-threatening condition. In a slightly less dangerous category, acute malnutrition in kids younger than 5 in Haiti has risen 61 percent, with some 217,000 children expected to suffer from it this year, compared with 134,000 last year.