A Nutrition Specialist with the United Nations Children’s Fund, Dr. Bamidele Omotola, said 640,000 cases of severe malnutrition had been treated in the last five years.
Omotola told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday that its Community Management of Acute Malnutrition programme focused on child malnutrition, which was a major challenge.
Omotola said: “Since 2009 when we started, till December 2013, over 640,000 children have been treated and discharged.
“In terms of rapid expansion, Nigeria could be said to be one of the very few countries that has expanded the CMAM programme rapidly.
“Child malnutrition is one major issue that we are faced with, in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is known to be one of the 20 countries that accounts for 90 per cent of global malnutrition and indeed, Nigeria is second or third largest of these counties.
“UNICEF decides to support the efforts of this government.
“You will recall that in 2009, we started the CMAM programme, and we started with about 15 sites in three LGAs.
“As at December 2013, we have expanded to about 71 LGAs.
“We have been able to establish 495 sites.”
According to Omotola, the Agency is still confronting the challenge of getting the Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods, saying it is necessary that efforts be geared towards making it available.
Omotola also stressed the desire of government to ensure that all health facilities had the needed drugs to arrest severe acute malnutrition, adding that skilled health workers were also paramount.
He said: “The limitation to the wider expansion is due to the challenge of supplies in terms of `Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods, which we call ‘RUTF’.
“So, this is delimiting.
“Once there is not enough supply, it becomes difficult to be able to expand rapidly.
“But, the intention of government is to ensure that every public primary health facility should be able to treat severe acute malnutrition.
“And so what does it require?
“Apart from the requirement of these supplies of RUTF, there is the requirement of routine drugs.
“And it also requires the training of health workers and it also has a community component for active case findings with the communities.”
Omotola stressed the need to promote government’s “Saving One Million Lives Initiative” as it emphasises nutrition as the basis for reducing child mortality.
A UNICEF report says that malnutrition is the single largest contributor to child mortality worldwide.
Severe acute malnutrition accounts for one in seven child deaths globally.
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