Child malnutrition rates in the south and centre of Iraq have fallen to the lowest level since they peaked in 1996, according to a new survey released today by UNICEF. The survey reveals that the rate of acute malnutrition among children has dropped from a high of eleven per cent in 1996 to four per cent this year.
The number of children who are underweight also fell, from a 1996 high of 23 per cent to nine per cent this year. Malnutrition indicators are considered the most sensitive gauge of the health of children.
"Despite improvements there are still close to one million children under the age of five suffering from chronic malnutrition in Iraq today - that's nearly a quarter of all children of that age," said Mr. Carel de Rooy, the head of UNICEF in Iraq. "This is unacceptable. More still needs to be done to end the suffering of a generation of...
full
listing 
About RSS
