An indirect consequence of the coronavirus, malnutrition in children is gaining ground around the world. According to a Unicef study published on Tuesday, nearly seven million additional children in the world could suffer from it because of the economic and social crisis caused by the pandemic.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 47 million children around the world were already suffering in 2019 from the consequences of malnutrition, weight loss and extreme thinness, underlines Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund. "It has been seven months since the first cases of Covid-19 were reported and it is increasingly clear that the consequences of the pandemic are harming children more than the disease itself", commented in a statement. Executive Director of Unicef, Henrietta Fore.
Long-term consequences
“Poverty and food insecurity have increased. Essential services and food supply chains have been disrupted. The price of food has skyrocketed. The result is that the quality of children's diets has declined and rates of malnutrition will increase, ”she continued. Unicef is based on an analysis published by the medical journal The Lancet, in which researchers are alarmed about the consequences of malnutrition linked to the Covid-19 pandemic on children.
"The profound impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the nutrition of younger children could have intergenerational consequences," they say, fearing that this will harm "the growth and development of these children".
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- Unicef
- World
- Covid 19
- Child
- Coronavirus