Malnutrition And Deadly Diseases Threaten Children

Malnutrition And Deadly Diseases Threaten More Than Six Million Children In Flood-Devastated Pakistan

August 10, 2010 - Save the Children reports more than six million children are vulnerable to malnutrition and life threatening diseases as a result of the floods in Pakistan having lost their homes and in many cases being separated from their families.

A shortage of food and soaring food prices are beginning to add to the misery with the price of essential food items skyrocketing over the past week because of supply disruptions, and damage to crops. Basic food items such as flour, sugar, potato, cooking oil, fruit, onion, ginger, and garlic have either disappeared from the market or are available at almost double the price.

‘The most urgent challenge is to ensure food supplies and restore transportation networks to accelerate the delivery of desperately needed aid,’ said Mohammed Qazilbash, Save the Children’s spokesperson in Pakistan.

Meanwhile over 2000 schools have been damaged by the floods and several hundred schools have been converted into life-saving shelters.

‘The scale of damage to schools is quite massive and the education of the country’s children has been put into jeopardy,’ said Mr Qazilbash.

‘The new academic year was scheduled to begin this week, but the government has postponed this until early September. As many schools have been converted into shelters, there is a need to ensure that school premises are not damaged.’

ENDS

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