At least 573,000 children under five are at risk of suffering from malnutrition in Malawi, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned Friday. Despite recent progress in reducing chronic malnutrition, acute food insecurity, compounded by recurrent climate shocks, preventable disease outbreaks, economic instability, and chronic underfunding, threatens to reverse past gains, UNICEF said.
Malawi is still grappling with the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Freddy in March this year, with 659,000 people currently internally displaced, including many children. Meanwhile, an ongoing cholera outbreak in the country has claimed more than 1,700 lives.
"Children in Malawi are at the sharp end of the global polycrisis. Food insecurity, exasperated by a growing climate crisis, disease outbreaks, and the global economic downturn, is threatening to wreak havoc and disrupt the lives of millions of children," said UNICEF Country Representative Gianfranco Rotigliano.
"The prospect of having over half a million children suffering from malnutrition is unacceptable. Without an immediate response, the impact on these vulnerable children will be deadly."
The UN agency has launched a new appeal for the country in Southeast Africa, which reveals that malnutrition cases among children have increased over the past five years and accelerated significantly in recent months.
In 2023 alone, it is estimated that over 62,000 children, aged between 6 and 59 months, are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), also known as wasting. An estimated 573,800 children under five, and 228,000 pregnant and lactating women are at risk of malnutrition.
To respond to the urgent needs of 6.5 million people, including 3.3 million children, UNICEF has increased its appeal for Malawi from US$52.4 to US$87.7 million.
The funding will be used to meet priority needs, such as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for treating severe acute malnutrition, access to safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene items, health, nutrition, education, child protection services, and cash transfer schemes.
In the first quarter of 2023, with the support of donors and partners, UNICEF assisted the Government of Malawi in screening 140,307 children under the age of five for acute malnutrition. Among them, 522 children were identified as having SAM and were referred to health facilities for further care.
"Without increased support, poor and vulnerable households with children will be left without access to basic services, essential supplies, and social assistance," said Rotigliano.
"But beyond the immediate response, it is crucial that we invest in long-term solutions by strengthening systems and building resilience within communities to handle recurring outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies better."
Malawi is currently experiencing the deadliest cholera outbreak in the country’s history. The Malawi Ministry of Health declared the cholera outbreak on March 3, 2022, after the spread of several confirmed cases. The numbers of cholera cases and deaths in the country have increased exponentially since the beginning of January 2023.
The current cholera outbreak has affected all 29 districts of Malawi. As of 23 April 2023, 58,171 cases had been reported, including 1743 deaths.
Malawi also experiences a variety of natural disasters, including cyclones, cyclical drought, earthquakes, flooding, and severe storms. In March 2023, one of the longest-lasting tropical cyclones on record hit Malawi, causing extensive damage, claiming the lives of hundreds of people, leaving more than 650,000 people homeless, and affecting some 2.3 million people.
In addition, vulnerable populations experience recurring food insecurity. An estimated 3.8 million people across Malawi required emergency food assistance to meet basic needs during the lean season between October 2022 and March 2023, the period when food is most scarce.
Further information
Full text: Over half a million children at risk of malnutrition in Malawi, UNICEF, press release, published May 19, 2023
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/over-half-million-children-risk-malnutrition-malawi