Salima District senior nutrition and HIV officer Lucius Njobvu has urged stakeholders to put deliberate measures to help communities stock enough food to reduce malnutrition among children.
He said this during a district nutrition coordinating committee meeting aimed at sharing with stakeholders guidelines on the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Reports show that malnutrition cases are not decreasing despite efforts put in place by government and different stakeholders,” he said.
He urged community members to keep enough food for their households.
“This is harvest season. I ask stakeholders to sensitise people not to sell all their produce so that they have food to take them to the next harvest, to combat malnutrition,” he said.
From January to March this year, Salima District Hospital Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) has recorded 13 malnutrition-related deaths.
In his remarks, Salima District Hospital nutritionist Kingsley Chizeze said they are working tirelessly to reduce malnutrition in the district.
He said: “We have mothers that shun under-fives clinics because their children are underweight or malnourished.
“We also have parents who run away from NRUs when their malnourished children are admitted.” Chizeze said besides sensitising communities on nutritional issues and providing other nutritional services, the unit also makes follow-ups on parents that run away from the centre.
