Millions Of Children In Syria At 'Heightened' Risk Of Malnutrition - UNICEF

Millions of children in Syria are facing a "heightened" risk of malnutrition caused by more than a decade of armed conflict and recent catastrophic earthquakes, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) Millions of children in Syria are facing a "heightened" risk of malnutrition caused by more than a decade of armed conflict and recent catastrophic earthquakes, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.

"Twelve years of conflict and the recent deadly earthquakes have left millions of children in Syria at a heightened risk of malnutrition," UNICEF said in a press release.

As the conflict in Syria enters its thirteenth year, hostilities continue unabated in several parts of the country and grave violations of children's rights and well-being persist, the release said.

"According to estimates, more than 609,900 children, under the age of five, are stunted in Syria," the release said. "Stunting results from chronic undernutrition and causes irreversible physical and mental damage to children. This impacts their capacity to learn, their productivity and earnings later in adulthood."

In addition, UNICEF said in the release that acute malnutrition among children is on the rise.

"The number of 6-59-month-old children suffering from severe acute malnutrition increased by 48 per cent from 2021 to 2022," the release said.

"When children suffer from acute malnutrition, their immune system weakens, and they are eleven times more likely to die than well-nourished children."

The UNICEF pointed out that some 90% of people in Syria live in poverty, which has a harmful impact on children's diets and nutrition status.

In 2023, prior to the deadly earthquakes that struck Syria on February 6, more than 3.75 million children required nutritional assistance across the country, while nearly 7 million children countrywide required urgent humanitarian assistance, the release said.

"The earthquakes destroyed families' houses and left many children afraid to return home as aftershocks continued. Many families are now displaced and living in cramped conditions in temporary shelters and camps," the release added.

The recent cholera outbreak and the impact of the earthquakes are putting additional pressure on the already over-burdened public health services and health care delivery, and further worsening of access to essential health and nutrition services in 2023 is expected, according to the release.