UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ malnutrition in children due to Ukraine war

The United Nations’ child right agency has reportedly said that the cost of life-saving treatment for the most severely malnourished children is set to jump by up to 16% due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pandemic disruptions.

According to UNICEF, the raw ingredients of ready-to-eat-therapeutic food have leapt in price amid the global food crisis sparked by the war and pandemic.

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Without further funding in the next six months, 600,000 more children may miss out on the essential treatment, which is a high-energy paste made of ingredients including peanuts, oil, sugar and added nutrients.

Reuters reported that UNICEF did not specify how much increased spending would be needed to maintain the program. However, it said a carton of the specialised nutrition containing 150 packets – enough for 6 to 8 weeks to bring a severely malnourished child back to health – goes for about $41 on average.

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The children’s agency also warned about the wider pressure on food security, including climate change, the price rise could lead to “catastrophic” levels of severe malnutrition, the children’s agency warned in a statement.

“The world is rapidly becoming a virtual tinderbox of preventable child deaths and child suffering from wasting,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

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Severe wasting, when children are too thin for their height, effects 13.6 million children under 5 years old, and results in 1-in-5 deaths among this age group.

Even before the war and pandemic, 2-in-3 did not have access to the therapeutic food needed to save their lives, UNICEF said.