Malnutrition still a killer among children
By Siyabonga Kalipa
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Cape Town - Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) remains a serious fundamental cause of child deaths in South Africa, accounting for one quarter of child in-hospital deaths.
This was one of the findings in the report of Food and Nutrition Security, South African Child Gauge 2020.
In a case study conducted by Unicef’s Nutrition Specialists Mariame Sylla and Gilbert Tshitaudzi, SAM remains a significant underlying cause of child mortality in South Africa.
“While prevalence is low at 2.5%, mortality rates in children with SAM are nine times higher than those in well-nourished children. For much of the past few years, provincial efforts to address acute malnutrition have primarily focused on providing treatment for severely malnourished children in healthcare facilities,” read the study.