Severe malnutrition grips thousands of children

PORT-AU-PRINCE (CMC):

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that escalating violence and displacement continue to create severe humanitarian needs in Haiti, fuelling a nutritional and education crisis for children.

The report states that UNICEF and its partners have screened more than 217,000 children for acute malnutrition since the beginning of the year, and more than 21,500 children have been admitted for treatment for severe acute malnutrition

This represents approximately 17 per cent of the nearly 129,000 children expected to require life-saving treatment this year.