OVER 35% OF NIGERIAN CHILDREN FACE MALNUTRITION – NARD. (PHOTO).

 Over 35% of Nigerian children face malnutrition – NARD

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has said that over 35 per cent of Nigerian children under five years are affected by malnutrition, describing the menace as a critical public health challenge. In a post on X on Thursday, NARD said over 35 per cent of children under five are affected. “Malnutrition contributes significantly to child mortality. It also impacts cognitive development, disease susceptibility, and national productivity,” the association added.

NARD stated that interventions include Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) distribution, community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) counselling. Research shows these strategies significantly improve recovery rates and child survival, it added. “NARD members are at the forefront of implementing and researching malnutrition interventions across Nigeria,” the association said.

The body urged support for sustainable nutritional programmes to protect children’s health nationwide. In August, the Federal Government described Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis as “a national emergency.” Annual losses due to malnutrition exceed $1.5 billion, Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwuka, revealed. Rochas-Anwuka noted this crisis undermines human capital and national development.

Earlier in July, Vice President Kashim Shettima warned that malnutrition deprives nearly 40 per cent of children under five. At a National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security in Abuja, he called the situation “a national crisis.” “It is a reminder that food insecurity is not only about hunger. “It affects whether people can afford, access, and accept food that meets nutritional needs. It is about education and human capital,” Shettima said.

Shettima urged collective and urgent action to address the crisis. In late July, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that over 600 malnourished children died in northern Nigeria in six months. It said cases of the most severe malnutrition jumped by 208 per cent between January and June compared with last year. The charity cited reduced foreign aid, rising living costs, and insurgency-related disruptions as major contributing factors.