 |
|
About
350,000 Ethiopian children have severe malnutrition, Unicef said, meaning that
they are likely to die without therapeutic feeding. Image by: Buddhika
Weerasinghe / Getty Images
|
About 11million children
in eastern and Southern Africa face hunger, disease and water shortages due to
the strongest El Niño weather phenomenon in decades, the UN children's fund
(UNICEF) said.
Food
and water shortages brought about by drought and floods are causing
malnutrition, which increases vulnerability to killer diseases such as malaria,
diarrhoea, cholera and dengue fever.
"The
consequences could ripple through generations unless affected communities
receive support," UNICEF said, referring to stunting, which affects
children getting too little protein, vitamins and minerals in their food.
Stunted children have poor cognitive development and health, achieve less at
school and, as adults, earn less than children who had adequate nutrition,
studies show.
