Endemic Infant malnutrition in North Cameroon

44.7 percent of children in the North, Far North, East and Adamawa regions are highly malnourished, according to medical statistics.

By Morine Ncheke Tanyi in Yaounde

A sensitization campaign that will run from February 17 to 28 February is under way in the North, Far North, East and Adamawa regions of Cameroon. Organized by the Ministry of Public Health in partnership with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization and UNICEF, the campaign is aimed to boost the fight against an alarming incidence of malnutrition in these parts of the country.

     According to official statistics, the North region is most touched by the phenomenon, with 44.7 per cent of children suffering from diseases linked to malnutrition. She is closely followed by the Far North with 42.7 per cent, the East with 37.5 per cent and the Adamawa with 35 per cent.
    It is worth noting that the prevalence rate of malnutrition shows that the Far North region is at the top of the chart with 8.6 per cent, the North comes in second place with 5.8 per cent while the Adamawa and East regions records 4.3 and 3 per cent respectively.
    The campaign also seeks to sensitize traditional and religious authorities, NGOs, local chiefs, administrative authorities as well as elite of these regions to be aware of the devastating situation of malnutrition and mobilize them to join hands together to fight infant malnutrition in the various regions. It equally aims to sensitize the people to promote good health habits, good eating conditions as well as adopt appropriate hygienic conditions of infants for the first 1000 days after birth (ie until the age of two). They were called upon to organize themselves, put in place plans of action that will help in the fight against infant malnutrition while having in mind the health and economic effects malnutrition on the lives of children and the development of their communities and the country as a whole.