Unicef, govt launch nutrition interventions for Rohingya children

Unicef along with the government of Bangladesh and other sectoral partners launched 'Nutrition Action Week' to bolster nutrition interventions for Rohingya children.

The programme that started yesterday aims to provide immediate support to around 17,000 under-five children currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), according to a press release from Unicef.

"The coming together of all the partners in the nutrition sector to scale up immediate response will bring much needed support for the Rohingya children as well as children from the host community," Edouard Beigbeder, representative of Unicef Bangladesh was quoted as saying in the press release.

"Nutrition is the right of every child. The Government of Bangladesh along with development partners including UNICEF will do everything possible to ensure that the Rohingya children get the required nutrition support," the State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque said.

The preliminary findings of a nutrition assessment conducted at Kutupalong refugee camp last month showed a 7.5 percent prevalence of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition – a rate double to what was witnessed among Rohingya child refugees in May 2017.

The Nutrition Action Week will bring together all nutrition sector partners to prevent further worsening of nutritional status through increased uptake of critical nutrition interventions, says the release.

During this weeklong exercise, at least 80 percent of 176,756 children aged six to fifty-nine months will be given vitamin A capsules, 80 percent of 118,427 children aged 24-59 months will be provided deworming tablets, 176,756 children aged six to fifty-nine months will undergo nutrition screening and malnourished children will be referred for nutrition treatment programmes.