The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says at least 245,300 children under five years in Katsina suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and need immediate treatment.

“Based on the preliminary findings from a recently completed SMART survey across Katsina State, an estimated 245,300 children under five are suffering from SAM and need immediate treatment,” said the UNICEF chief of the Kano Field Office, Rahama Mohammed-Farah.

Mr Mohammed-Farah disclosed this at a meeting for the Review and Dissemination of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) on Wednesday in Katsina.

He said good nutrition is critical to the survival and development of children.

“In terms of ensuring minimum dietary diversity in children’s feeding, Katsina state has significantly declined from where it was 10 years ago,” he explained. “The nutritional situation of children aged 6-59 months has worsened with the continuing increase of daily Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) cases on admission, which reached an average of about 2,000 cases of admission in a month.”

He also said in terms of learning achievement in schools, the survey measured the foundational numeracy and literacy skills of children between the ages of seven and 12.

“MICS data shows that the learning achievement situation in Katsina state is still far below the national average. For example, in Katsina State, only nine per cent of the children assessed have demonstrated foundational reading skills compared to 26 per cent at the national level,” added Mr Mohammed-Farah.

The UNICEF official explained there was a need for governments across the states in the North-West of Nigeria to ensure effective interventions to reduce poverty and improve the basic social services in health, education, nutrition, social protection, water and sanitation and child’s rights.

“State governments in the North-West of Nigeria, including Katsina, should carefully review the MICS data, analyse the underlying and contributing root causes of these poor human development indicators, and implement better focused and effective strategies to address them,” he said.

Mr Mohammed-Farah further called on the policymakers to design innovative strategies and allocate and release adequate resources to improve the current human development situation and the well-being of women and children who suffer the most. 

(NAN)