380,000 Lankan children stunted

By Ifham Nizam

In a shocking revelation a top researcher disclosed that in Sri Lanka 0.38 children under the age of five are stunted.

Consultant Medical Nutritionist and Medical Research Institute, Head Dr. Renuka Jayatissa at the launch of the World Disaster Report 2011 at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Centre in Colombo on Thursday night, said
that adopting to instant food culture or junk foods is one the prime causes for malnourishment.

"This originates during the critical 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday."

She also says 0.2 million or one in nine children `Wasted’ Low weight for height, 0.4 million one in five `Underweight’ or low weight and 0.024 million suffering from obesity.

She also said that more than 95 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population consumes three or more meals a day, however, there are about one million people who don’t consume three meals a day.

Dr. Jayatissa says of the million people who don’t get three meals a day includes 0.3 million of the elderly population. Four million people, one fifth of people are anaemic. One in five or 0.8 million women are underweight and one in four, nearly 1.3 million women are overweight and obese.

International Federation of Red Cross Societies, Sri Lanka’s Delegation Head Bob McKerrow says governments and donors should invest more in agriculture and give a helping hand to farmers.

"It’s not just food that is becoming expensive, the price of technologies, seeds, fertilizers and fuel needed to transport food is also going up. We need to boost the agricultural sector as a way of protecting people who find themselves at the mercy of inflation and the global stock markets."

Sri Lanka Red Cross Society Director General Tissa Abeywickrama said that the launch of the 2011 report enhanced by the presence of the Secretary General from the seven countries in South Asia who are in Colombo to discuss issues along with other key humanitarian issues.

"This is significant because our region has the major share of the natural disaster in the world, and South Asia also has the Lion’s share of the world’s poverty," he added.

He also said that according to the report over one billion people to go to bed hungry every night in the world. "This is a tragedy in a world where there is more than enough for everyone to be well fed, and well nourished."

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