MALNUTRITION has hit Matabeleland South province with an average of four children being affected every month, health officials have said.
BY FELUNA NLEYA
The province is in region five which is characterised by poor rainfall.
Manama Mission Hospital administrator Sizile Dube last week said kwashiorkor affected a number of children.
“The NGOs [Non-Governmental Organisations] suspected that everyone got a good harvest but it’s not everyone who had a good harvest,” Dube said.
She said most parents could not afford to feed their children.
Matabeleland South provincial medical director William Busumani said food shortage was a perennial problem.
“We carried out a study recently which found that the level of malnutrition is at 6-10%, that is something the government is aware of and trying to address,” Busumani said.
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“We all need community participation to effectively manage the problem.”
Matabeleland South maternal and child health officer Rudo Chikodzore said they had put children on a high protein diet.
“When the children come into the hospital we administer them on a high protein diet because kwashiorkor is caused by lack of protein and is prevalent in this province,” she said.
“When the child is discharged they go home on Plumpy’Nut [medication for malnutrition] they continue until the child’s condition improves.
“However, there are some who relapse because they still don’t have the right food at home.”
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey launched by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, 27% of the children are stunted, 11,2% are underweight, 3,3% are wasted and 3,6 % overweight.
