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The World Food Programme (WFP) in Malawi has pre-positioned rations at all 84 nutrition rehabilitation units (NRU) it supports at hospitals and clinics across the country to minimise the effect of this year's severe food shortages on children under five years old.
The UN food agency's Ayoub al-Jaloudi told IRIN that WFP usually expected an increase in admissions at the NRUs during the "lean season", which runs from December up until around harvest time in March. "Every year the number of admissions increases by about 20 percent during this time. This year the situation has been exacerbated by the food shortage," he said.
Malawi is in the grip of a serious food shortage, with the government diverting average daily imports of about 1,200 mt of maize to the most affected southern regions of the country. Recent news reports have indicated that the number of malnourished children being treated at hospitals and clinics are on the increase.
Al-Jaloudi said that while he could not provide exact figures, about 2,000 children under five years old were treated at these centres at any given time, needing food and care. He said the rations provided to the children - and sometimes to their mothers - included milk powder, maize meal and oil.
"All the hospitals (which run WFP-supported NRUs) have food up to the end of March," al-Jaloudi said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
