Afghan media reports say UNICEF in Afghanistan has warned of a critical funding gap to provide essential medical food for severe acute malnutrition in the country.
Khaama Press News Agency reported on May 11.that according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), thousands of malnourished children in Afghanistan face severe consequences because of a critical funding gap.
According to Kabul Now, Melanie Galvin, UNICEF’s Chief of Nutrition, said on the organization’s official Twitter account on Thursday that it urgently needs additional funding to provide severe acute malnutrition children with ready-t-use medical food (RUTF) and life-saving treatment.
Galvin noted that this year, 875,000 children in Afghanistan suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Without treatment, thousands of children are life-threatening.
“Severe malnutrition can be treated with RUTF, a “highly efficient and effective” treatment, “in as little as eight weeks,” Galvin said. However, she noted that UNICEF lacked the $21 million necessary resources to purchase RUTF and train health workers across Afghanistan.
Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), the remedy recommended by UNICEF for the community-based treatment of malnutrition, is an energy-dense paste consisting of milk powder, vegetable oil, sugar, peanut butter, and powdered vitamins and minerals.
