CSO-SUN worried over malnutrition levels

-The Civil Society for Scaling up Nutrition Alliance (CSO-SUN) has called for increased attention in ensuring malnutrition is addressed in the country.

This follows a Zambia Demographic Health Survey which showed that nearly 40 percent of children under the age of Five in Zambia are either over-nourished or under- nourished.

Speaking to ZANIS in a telephone interview in Lusaka today, CSO-SUN Communications Manager Eneya Phiri said that 200 children in Samfya district were malnourished in 2014.

He also said information given to the Alliance in 2007 indicated that 15 percent of the children were underweight in which 6 percent were severely thin for their age.

Mr Phiri said the increase in the number of children malnourished showed that malnutrition was rather a growing situation and had to be dealt with to safeguard the lives of the children.

This has however caught the attention of the Alliance to ensure that sensitisation on malnutrition is widened throughout the country this year.

Mr Phiri said that the Alliance has this year engaged with different associations such as the Nutrition Association of Zambia, Centre for Trade Policy and Development and the National Food and Nutrition Commission in advocating malnutrition issues in the country.

The Alliance has also formed an all-party parliamentary committee to advocate issues of malnutrition in the National Assembly.

Mr Phiri noted that the Alliance and its partners will also sensitise the public on the need for eating healthy food containing the right nutrients for the body by holding sensitisation programmes in different communities.