The Campaign to End Malnutrition :: The Problem
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Malnutrition: the Problem |
Acute malnutrition is a devastating disease of epidemic proportions. Worldwide, 19 million children age 5 or younger suffer from severe acute malnutrition—the most dangerous type of hunger. Each year, some 5 million of these children die because they lack access to treatment.
Malnutrition is as much a medical problem as it is a social problem because it has major implications for a broad range of issues: a country’s mortality rates, educational prospects, productive employment, and economic capacity, etc. Malnutrition also happens to be one of the principle mechanisms behind the transmission of poverty and inequality from one generation to the next.
Types of Acute Malnutrition
Regular nourishment enables human beings to secure the energy their bodies require for the proper functioning of their vital organs. Malnutrition occurs when the body has spent its energy reserves. The body begins to consume its own tissues in search of the nutrients and energy it needs to survive, targeting muscle and body fat first. The body’s metabolism begins to slow, thermal regulation is disrupted, kidney function is impaired, and immune system capacity is diminished. The greater the loss of muscle and other tissue, the less likely the chances of survival.(1) Moderate Acute Malnutrition
Moderate acute malnutrition affects a greater number of children and has a greater impact on morbidity. It is accompanied by crucial deficiencies such as anemia (from a lack of iron), goiter (from a lack of iodine), and xerophthalmia (from a lack of vitamin A), as well as scurvy, pellagra, beriberi (from a lack of vitamin B), and rickets (from a lack of vitamin D).
(2) Severe Acute Malnutrition
Acute malnutrition's most severe form, severe acute malnutrition can manifest itself in two ways:
- Marasmus: Marasmus is characterized by a massive loss of weight and muscle tissue. Due to the disequilibrium experienced in weight and height, children suffering from Marasmus look almost elderly and their bodies are skeletal. At this point, their bodies’ vital processes are compromised: their metabolism has slowed, thermal regulation is disrupted, intestinal absorption and kidney function are diminished, the liver’s capacity to synthesize proteins and eliminate toxins is reduced, and the immunological system doesn’t function properly, which means less resistance to illness and disease. At this stage, even if the child manages to survive its bout with Marasmus, the damage is done and the deficiencies sustained from the disease can never be overcome.
- Kwashiorkor: The term "kwashiorkor" comes from a Ghanian word that means "the sickness the older child gets when the new child is born." Its principal characteristic is the presence of bilateral edemas on the extremities and on the face. Underneath these edemas, the muscles have been severely weakened and the child suffers from excruciating cramping and muscle pain. These children appear apathetic, and are easily irritable despite their sorrowful appearance. As is the case with Marasmus, children with Kwashiorkor suffer form significant damage to the functioning of their internal systems.
Acute Malnutrition Around the World
The United Nations announced in June 2009 that the number of hungry people worldwide has passed the one billion mark for the first time in history. 100 million more people have joined the ranks of the hungry since the year before as a result of high food prices and the global financial crisis.
This worldwide humanitarian disaster is already a reality that Action Against Hunger encounters on a daily basis in the more than 40 countries in which we work. The nutritional crisis already affects millions of families in Liberia, Sudan, Somalia and Nepal. Every 6 seconds a child dies of hunger. How far will this global disaster go?
A few key numbers:
- Some 55 million children suffer from either moderate or severe acute malnutrition (see ACF's "Acute Malnutrition Brochure"),
- 19 million children have severe forms of acute malnutrition (the most serious, life-threatening form of malnutrition). They make up about 3.5% of the world’s children under five years of age.
- Half of all deaths of children under 5 are directly or indirectly caused by malnutrition.
- One out of every two children surviving on less than $1 per day suffers from chronic malnutrition.
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