Thousands of Haitian Children Bordering Acute Malnutrition

The United Nations Children´s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday that Haitian children suffering from acute malnutrition could increase by more than double this year as the experts estimate that at least 86,000 children under five will start living under such conditions.

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"UNICEF is alarmed by the spike in malnutrition over the past year and concerned about the shortage of ready-to-use therapeutic food in the coming weeks," the organization said in a statement after an assessment on the ground by UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jean Gough.

The organization remarked that acute malnutrition in toddlers has risen by 61 percent this year. Moreover, "in 2021, about 217,000 Haitian children could suffer from acute malnutrition compared to 134,000 children during the same period last year, according to humanitarian needs overview (HNO) estimates."

According to the latest data, one in four Haitians suffer food insecurity, and from March to June 2021, 4.4 million people in this condition, including 1.9 million children. "We can’t look the other way and ignore one of the least funded humanitarian crises in the region. Without additional, urgent funding in the next few weeks, the life-saving treatment we are providing against malnutrition will be discontinued, and some children will be at risk of dying," Gough warned.