By Staff Reporter
A total of 1457 children died of acute malnutrition over the last years in South Africa, with the majority of them having severe acute malnutrition.
According to answers supplied by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng were the hardest hit with 265, 230, 190, and 172 deaths respectively since 1 January 2023 to 8 November 2024.
He was replying in written parliamentary to questions to the Democratic Alliance,
The minister also revealed that newborn mortality rates and stillbirth rates have shown a sight decline, and that “limited mechanisms were in place for ensuring that services for mothers and children were protected” given a declining budget and rising cost-of-living.
In 2023, a DA question revealed that 12,582 children died from severe and moderate acute malnutrition in the decade since 2013.
“Between 2018/19 and 2022/23, SAM rose by 26.3%. In 2022, 2.4 per 1 000 children under the age of five were diagnosed with SAM – approximately 13 668 children that year with a population of about 5 695 000 children under four years,” said DA health spokesperson Michele Clarke.
“At least one in four children in South Africa are stunted – a direct result of malnutrition. What is more concerning is that stunting is on the increase. And in 2020, 10% of children in South Africa lived in households that reported child hunger.”
Clarke said it was clear urgent intervention was needed and that the department must strengthen its links with community outreach programmes so that it reached and assisted as many acutely malnourished children as possible.
The DA would submit further written questions to determine the success and possible blind spots of the department’s programmes.
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