Telangana facing a low birth weight epidemic, says expert

UNICEF highlights low birth weight epidemic in Telangana, emphasizing alarming levels of childhood malnutrition and stunting.

Telangana is grappling with a ‘low birth weight epidemic’, a crisis that places children at a severe disadvantage from the moment they are born, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, Zelalem Taffesse, said on Monday (March 10).

Speaking at the fifth annual day celebration of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bibingar he highlighted the alarming levels of childhood malnutrition and stunting in the State, despite its overall economic progress.

“One out of three children under five in Telangana is stunted. That is a significant burden of malnutrition. Worse still, severe acute malnutrition is prevalent even among infants under six months,” Mr. Taffesse said, addressing an audience largely composed of medical professionals. The high incidence of low birth weight, he stressed, means that many children are starting life at a disadvantage, with increased risks of severe malnutrition and associated health complications.

Mr. Taffesse underscored the stark disparities within the State, stating: “Telangana is not Hyderabad, and Hyderabad is not Telangana. Within affluence, there are pockets where communities do not have the same access.” While Hyderabad represents rapid urbanisation and economic growth, many rural and marginalised communities remain deprived of essential healthcare, nutrition, and sanitation services.

Even within Hyderabad, he noted, tribal and slum-dwelling communities struggle with limited access to basic needs, exacerbating health and education gaps.

Reflecting on global efforts to combat poverty and malnutrition, Mr. Taffesse pointed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set in 2000 and their successor, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched in 2015. With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, he warned that setbacks, particularly from the COVID-19 pandemic, had rolled back hard-won gains in healthcare and education.

“Many more people fell back into poverty, and children lost access to life-saving services, including healthcare and education,” the UNICEF officer said.