WUNRN
23 May 2011 - The
United Nations World Health Organization (WHO)
has drafted a plan committing
The
measures, which will be included in a WHO report to be entitled Maternal,
infant and young child nutrition: implementation plan, were discussed today
at WHO’s ongoing 64th World
Health Assembly (WHA) in
The
draft plan outlines priorities to confront child under-nutrition, low birth
weight, growing rates of child overweight, both maternal under-nutrition and
overweight, and the consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies for
mothers and children.
More
than 100 million children under the age of five were underweight in 2010, and
at least 170 million were stunted, according to WHO figures. Micronutrient
deficiencies, including anaemia and vitamin A, are of increasing concern
worldwide.
Some
43 million children were estimated to be overweight and obese in 2010. More
mothers are becoming overweight, increasing the risk of birth complications.
Countries
need help to scale up effective actions to combat nutrition problems, said
Francesco Branca, the director of WHO’s Nutrition for Health and Development
department, at a news conference in Geneva.
Malnutrition,
in all its forms, impairs health, cognitive and physical development,
reproductive health and immune systems. It threatens child and infant survival,
according to WHO, which also noted that with growing rates of overweight in
many middle- and low-income countries, non-communicable diseases, such as
diabetes and cardiovascular disease, compromise health and are very difficult
to treat with limited resources.
Last
year’s 63rd World Health Assembly had urged Member States to increase their
political commitment to better nutrition and asked WHO to provide countries
with support and strategic advice.
The
draft implementation plan for maternal, young child and infant nutrition was
presented to Member States for their comments at the current Assembly as part
of a two-year consultative process to finalize the measures.
The
draft plan was unveiled as Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon spotlighted the issue of maternal health during an official visit
to Nigeria, touring a hospital and another health-care centre.
Mr.
Ban commended
the Nigerian Government for its leadership in passing new laws designed to
facilitate the provision of basic health care in the West African country.
In
a meeting with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in the capital, Abuja, Mr.
Ban said he hoped other countries would follow the country’s example.
At
a separate meeting with Nigeria’s Presidential Committee on the Status of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
the Secretary-General stressed
that improving women’s and children’s health is one of the keys to progress.
“Healthy
women give birth to healthy children who can grow up to contribute to their
healthy country. They are also the best guarantee of healthy, educated and
prosperous families. That is why we must tackle the terrible loss of women’s
and children’s lives in Nigeria,” said Mr. Ban.
He
also praised Nigerian plans to allocate a portion of its oil wealth to support
health initiatives for women and children. “This is a ground-breaking
initiative where success has far-reaching implications,” he added.
The
World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO and brings together
delegations from all Member States to determine the policies of the
Organization and approve its proposed programme budget.