Tag: MALNUTRITION

Family led MAUC: Fighting Malnutrition amid El-Nino drought

Caroline Chiimba

By Caroline Chiimba Placing mothers at the center of malnutrition screening strategies acknowledges that they are in the best position to detect the earliest signs of malnutrition in their children. Using a multifaceted approach to fighting malnutrition in vulnerable communities, the EU funded ‘Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe’ (ERVHIZ) project trained more that eighteen thousand households to screen for malnutrition using MAUC tapes in Matebeleland’s six districts. Through the Care group model, Nutrition Action Zimbabwe in partnership with Ministry of Health under the ERVHIZ project distributed MAUC tapes…

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Zim Has The Best Breastfeeding Trend: Experts

Patricia Mashiri

EXPERTS have commended the country’s breastfeeding trend which is currently amongst the highest in the region  and encouraged mothers to continue breastfeeding even after they would have tested positive for COVID-19. By Patricia Mashiri Speaking to HealthTimes, Mr Dexter Chagwena, a Nutritionist Consultant in the Ministry of Health and Child Care said the breastfeeding trend in Zimbabwe has been good even though there is need to improve on exclusive breastfeeding. Breastfeeding trend in Zimbabwe has been fairly good. We are a breastfeeding country where about between 96-98% of our children…

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Kick-Out Stunting Campaign To Raise Awareness On Micro-nutrients Deficiencies In Children

Michael Gwarisa

THERE is need to address the issue of micro-nutrients deficiencies in children at a very young age in order to arrest the malnutrition and stunting problem  currently haunting Zimbabwe, a nutritionist has said. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) survey, stunting remains high at 29.4% for the children under the age of five. The national stunting prevalence was reported to be 29.4% among children6-59 months. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate was 3.7% and below the WHO threshold for emergency. Children identified as underweight…

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Stunting Remains Zimbabwe’s Leading Form Of Malnutrition In Children- ZimVAC 2020

Michael Gwarisa

CHILD Stunting continues to slow efforts to address malnutrition in Zimbabwe amidst indications that stunting remains high at 29.4% for the children under the age of five according to the 2020 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) survey. By Michael Gwarisa According to the ZimVAC, the national stunting prevalence was reported to be 29.4% among children6-59 months. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate was 3.7% and below the WHO threshold for emergency. Children identified as underweight was 9.45 and comparable with other assessments Stunting remains high (29.4%) and the leading form…

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Provide Food Basket Instead To Avert COVID-19 Induced Malnutrition- Gvt Told

Michael Gwarisa

THE Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition (ZCSOSUNA) has called on government to  replace the current ZW$200 food assistance cash transfer assistance being given to vulnerable households with a nutritious food basket  in a bit to avert a spike in Severe Acute Malnutrition cases. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing Journalists this morning, ZCSOSUNA National Coordinator, Mr Kudakwashe Zombe said food and nutrition assistance need to be at the heart of social protection programmes especially under the prevailing environment where revenue streams have been disrupted at the back of lockdown restrictions.…

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241 Zim Children Admitted For Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment During Lockdown

Michael Gwarisa

THE COVID-19 induced lockdown has worsened the food security situation at household level, in the process, compromising the nutrition status of children and pregnant women, amidst indications that a total 214 children were admitted for treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) by the month of May, 2020. By Michael Gwarisa According to the 2020 Zimbabwe Humanitarian Response Plan which was launched in April this year, around 7 million people across the country are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) report also highlighted that the…

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AU Summit: African leaders call for action to end malnutrition by 2025

NewsRoom

AFRICAN countries have made progress toward eradicating malnutrition and stunting but need to do more to hit United Nations malnutrition targets by 2025. This was the main message of a meeting that took place during the 33rd African Union Summit. Speakers at a meeting of the African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) included the heads of state of Madagascar, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, national ministers of health as well as African Development Bank (AfDB.org) President Akinwumi Adesina, head of the African Development Bank. Leaders acknowledged the scope of the challenge…

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Nutrition Crucial For Pregnant, Lactating Women & children During Droughts

NewsRoom

AS our nation slowly plunges into what has been projected to be one of the most catastrophic droughts over decades, it is crucial that key decision makers in government ministries take cognizance of the fact that good nutrition takes center stage in human and economic development of our country. By Kudakwashe Zombe According to the World Food Program (WFP),  Zimbabwe was facing another famine following indications that the 2020 harvest  could be low at the back continued dry spells. The WFP said it was appealing to the international community to…

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Malnutrition Spikes In Cyclone Idai Hit Communities

Michael Gwarisa

CHIPINGE District Hospital is battling increased cases of malnutrition emanating from Chimanimai, some parts of Chipinge and Mozamabique which were hit by the tropical cyclone idai, HealthTimes has learnt. By Michael Gwarisa in Chipinge Speaking to Journalists during the Post Cyclone Idai assessment media tour which was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNDP and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Chipinge District Acting Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Ozimmo Matekenya said the malnutrition crisis was most prevalent in children and babies under the age of five. In…

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Gvt Urged To Increase Funding Towards Nutrition…As Malnutrition Stalks Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE continues to be trailed by long episodes of malnutrition amidst indications that one in every four children under the age of five years is experiencing malnutrition within their 1000 days from birth up to two years. By Michael Gwarisa Briefing journalists in the capital Harare, Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) National Coordinator, Kudakwashe Zombe said there was need for government and partners to mobilise domestic financial resources towards supporting nutrition interventions in the country. “We are however deeply concerned that despite progress made in reducing…

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