KATHMANDU, JUNE 14
More than 18,000 children across the country have been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), according to findings from a nationwide nutrition assessment campaign conducted by the government.
The month-long campaign, carried out from April 28 to May 29, screened 1.035 million children aged between six and 59 months. Of them, 18,309 were found to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition, the Department of Health Services said.
Releasing the findings, Chief of the Nutrition Section at the department, Lila Bikram Thapa, said the government would formulate and implement targeted interventions in response to the high number of cases detected.
Madhesh Province recorded the highest number of SAM cases at 8,380, followed by Lumbini (3,015), Sudurpaschim (1,758), Koshi (1,590), Karnali (1,503), Bagmati (1,401) and Gandaki (662).
Children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition are being provided Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), while those requiring additional care are being treated along with their mothers at 25 nutrition rehabilitation centres across the country.
The assessment also identified a large number of children suffering from acute malnutrition. Madhesh Province reported the highest number with 38,948 cases, followed by Lumbini (17,879), Sudurpaschim (9,344), Koshi (6,596), Bagmati (6,480), Karnali (5,989) and Gandaki (2,969).
Health officials said the findings underscore the need for strengthened nutrition programmes, particularly in provinces reporting the highest burden of malnutrition.
(With inputs from RSS)