Pandemic to bring surge in child wasting cases: UN

The unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic will see nearly seven million more children experience stunting as a result of malnutrition, the United Nations said yesterday. Even before COVID-19 there were an estimated 47 million children under five who were moderately or severely wasted, most living in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia. Now as lockdowns and international trade routes disrupt vital aid supplies, the UN warned that the coronavirus pandemic could have an "intergenerational effect" on the health of millions in 118 countries. Wasting occurs when the body is so acutely malnourished that its muscles and fat begin to diminish. 

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