A presentation by the representative of the Chief UNICEF Field Office in Kaduna, Dr. Shehu Umar on the overview on malnutrition and immunization situation in Nigeria, showed that while neonatal, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, HIV/AIDS, and injuries all combined are only about 50% contributory causes to under-five deaths in Nigeria, malnutrition takes the lead with 53% cause of death of under-five children.
Although UNICEF was appreciative of various state governments for their efforts in ensuring children’s survival, in a communiqué issued at the end of the sessions, participants called on government at all levels to intensify their effort towards saving the Nigerian child from malnourishment, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
UNICEF officials, media chiefs and their representatives drawn from the field area of Kaduna, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Sokoto, Zamfara and FCT Abuja brainstormed for two days on the nutrition situation in the Sahel States of the country where they identified problems and challenges to improved nutrition and immunization of women and children in the affected states.
As a result of this work, 6-month priority action plans for all stakeholders were agreed on by the participants, which will be reviewed at about the same.
Facts
- Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.
- Malnutrition is the underlying cause of morbidity and mortality of a large proportion of children under-5 in Nigeria. It accounts for more than 50 per cent of deaths of children in this age bracket.
- The deaths of newborn babies in Nigeria represent a quarter of the total number of deaths of children under-five.
- Similarly, a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria is 1 in 13.
