5.5 percent acute malnutrition among children in Bas-Congo

Results of an NGO nutrition survey in the western province of Bas-Congo revealed that 5.5 percent of children were acutely malnourished, with under one percent of these severely malnourished. The UNICEF-funded survey, conducted by Action Against Hunger (AICF-USA) between 22 February and 5 March, measured some 900 children under five years of age in the Lukaya district of Bas-Congo. "The results are not so worrying in terms of moderate and severe malnutrition, but they indicate more long-term problems that require agricultural and food security interventions," Action Against Hunger nutritionist Caroline Wilkinson told IRIN today. The survey showed that 43.5 percent of the children were suffering from chronic malnutrition, or stunted growth, she said. The survey also estimated that only 34.5 percent of children had been vaccinated against measles.