Dolakha, June 9

More than 16,000 children are suffering from malnutrition in Dolakha, a recently-published data has shown.

As per a survey conducted in different parts of the district till mid-April, some 16,632 children, who make up for 2.92 per cent of the total number of kids in the district, are suffering from malnutrition in the district. The district health office of Dolakha has confirmed the data.

“Of them, 22 were found to  be suffering from severe case of malnutrition, whereas 421 others were diagnosed to be mild cases,” said DPHO chief Kameshwor Prasad Chaurasiya, adding the number of malnutritioned kids this year was less than that of last year. As for the last year, the number of malnourished cases among kids in the district stood somewhere at 1,305, of which 69 were severe cases.

According to Chaurasiya, child marriage, lack of sanitation, low intake of fruits and nutritious foods, lack of access to health facilities, as well as lack of awareness among the people, mainly mothers, about the need of enough nutrition in body have directly and indirectly contributed to malnutrition.

Dolakha’s remote villages including Bigu, Alampu and Chopachagu are the places with high cases of malnutrition.