In despite of numerous, and seemingly successful, efforts to alleviate malnutrition in Sri Lankan children, children continue to be malnurished. Why are so many children still malnurished, despite numerous health programs in incitives? Inspite of various successes the country remains in a serious child health crisis, as reported in a newly released survey. The Demographic and Health Survey 2006/2007, a draft of which was released by the Health and Nutrition Ministry and the Census and Statistics Department, shows that 22% of Sri Lankan children are underweight, 18% are stunted and 15% show signs of wasting.
Increasing food cost and unemployment are only serving to compound the growing problem of malnurishment affecting hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan children. Those areas of the country which are feeling the burden most are those regions effected by conflict. According to Judy Devadawson, an adviser to a Trincomalee-based NGO, the Women and Child Care Organisation (WACCO);
"What is very common now is to see people struggling to buy food because of the high prices of staples like rice and bread. In some places, we see very thin children with sunken eyes and they seem lethargic." (IRIN)
In my post earlier this past week, The Thin Balance Between Life and Death, Sri Lanka was not one of the countries of significant mention in regards to infant mortality as they ranked seemingly high in regards to other countries, however the courntry's infant mortality rate may not rank as high, at #113 with at rate of 19.01. Nonetheless there is grave concern over the high levels of child undernurshment and malnurishment, which often leads to death in children under 5 years old.
