The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Sazedul Islam

Nadia, aged 10, was admitted to Paediatrics department of Sk. Mujib Medical University (SMMU), Dhaka, with respiratory diseases, dehydration and anaemia.

The weak baby, weighing only three kgs, could not sit or move properly worrying her parents who brought her to SMMU seeing her deteriorating health condition.

Physicians at SMMU diagnosed the baby underweight, as they said that weight of the baby should be between 10-12 kgs at her age.

Physicians told her parents that she fell sick due to lack of nutritious foods. Physicians attributed her health problems to lack of awareness of Nadia's parents who failed to take care of her health despite their good financial condition and health facilities available in their Gazipur home district.

The baby recovered her health after treatment at SMMU.

The story of the child is not an isolated incident. In Bangladesh, there are many children inflicted by malnutrition.

Physicians at SMMU said children should be provided with other natural foods during their illness. If it not done, children may become more malnourished. Parents should also maintain hygiene at their house to prevent malnutrition.

These problems are costing the country substantially in terms of premature deaths, permanent disabilities and loss in productivity and in income. If the children suffer from diseases caused by malnutrition during the early period of life, irreparable losses are caused to their brain and body hampering the cognitive and physical development.

Poor nutrition in the first two years can slow a child's physical and mental development for the rest of her/his life. In order to grow and stay healthy, they need a variety of nutritious foods such as meat, fish, pulses, grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables and breast-milk.

For the country as a whole, physical retardation in one form or another were found to have affected nearly 74 per cent of children in the age-group 6-71 months. The majority adolescents of Bangladesh were also found to be suffering from physical retardation, said a report of Food and Nutrition Science Institute of Dhaka University.

Nutrition deprived children lose disease prevention capacity, hence, they are affected by various disease like night blindness, blindness, skin disease, marasmus, kwashiorkor, beriberi, ulcerative condition at the junction place of both the upper and lower lips, scurvy and anaemia.

So, nutrition scientists said intake of nutritious foods is essential for all to keep the body healthy, disease free and strong.

According to Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN), Mahakhali, Dhaka, malnutrition problem in Bangladesh is a recognized serious problem that mostly affected women and children creating a negative impact on public health. About 87 percent under five children are mainly hit by malnutrition caused by lack of protein and energy. Among them, two-third of them dies due to malnutrition, said the Institute.

In our country, 45 percent children are born with weight less than natural weight, hence they become physically and mentally handicapped for whole of their life, said a report of IPHN. About 70 percent under five children and women suffer from malnutrition caused by aneamia that can be solved by giving the children with human milk. Intake of iron rich foods, Vitamin C riches vegetables and fruits and change of food habit can solve the anaemia problem.

IPHN said, malnutrition caused by protein and energy deficiency, which is called Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM), is mainly seen among our children. Hence, they are affected by marasmas and koashirkar diseases. It said about 93 percent children in our country suffer from any malnutrition and

Prof. YH Farida Khatun, former Line Director, Micronutrient and Director, Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Mahakhali, said about 5,000 children of our country go blind and consequently die due to Vitamin 'A' deficiency every year. Those who survive turn blind making them burden on the society and their family, said Farida.

Deep green vegetables and coloured fruits, such as ripe papaya, mango and jackfruits, can meet the Vitamin A deficiency, said Farida. Providing colostrum to the children and complementary Vitamin A riches foods along with breast milk after six months of age can also meet the Vitamin A deficiency, said Farida.

Children need Vitamin A to resist illness and prevent visual impairments. Vitamin A can be found in many fruits and vegetables, oils, eggs, dairy products, fortified foods, breast-milk or vitamin A supplements. Vitamin A can be found in liver, eggs, dairy products, fatty fish liver oil, ripe mangoes and papayas, yellow sweet potatoes, dark green leafy vegetables and carrots.

A mother must be provided with nutritious foods and medical check-up during pregnancy if we want a healthy child from her.

Dr Ainun Afroze, Professor of Nutrition and Gastroenterology Division of SMMU, said rice, atta, suji, potato, fish, meat, eggs, pulse, simer bitchi, oil, makhon, ghee, vegetables, fruits, mineral water are needed to solve the nutrition problem.

The problems of malnutrition will be reduced to minimum within a short span of time through massive campaign approach by the government NGO along with the press and mass media.

(PID-UNICEF Feature)