One out of every four malnourished in Iraq

By Waiel Faleh, The Baghdad Observer, No. 8699, 4 June 1997

A survey published by the Ministry of Health with collaboration of UNICEF and WFP has found out that one out of every four young Iraqi children is malnourished (low weight for age).

The survey which was released by the UNICEF office in Baghdad said that in 1991, one year after the sanctions began, only 9,2 per cent of the children were found to be malnourished, to date the figure has jumped to 25 per cent or 750,000 children are suffering from general malnutrition.

Malnutrition (low height for age) has reached 27,5 per cent in children under five, the survey said adding after a child reaches two or three years of age, chronic malnutrition is difficult to reverse and damage on the child's development is likely to be permanent. This situation is a direct result from a combination of factors including adverse economic conditions, poor health, inappropriate or insufficient food and lack of care.

The study compared Iraq to other countries in the Middle East and Africa. It said that the average level of malnurition does not exceed 16 percent. Zambia and Iraq have both a 25 per cent rate of malnutrition while Kenya and Uganda enjoy better rate of 23 per cent for children under five, says the survey.

The study has found that every governorate in center and southern Iraq has no less than 20 per cent rate of malnutrition. It also found that the most dangerous age for malnutrition is from 6-23 months old children.

Other results of the study show that boys and girls are equally affected with malnutrition and that the percentage is similar in urban and rural areas, said the survey.