Economic Blockade Causes Surge in Malnutrition & Child Mortality Rates
Sana'a – Saba News Agency | By: Mahdi Al-Bahri
Years of American-Saudi-Emirati aggression and economic blockade have led to a dramatic increase in food insecurity, with acute malnutrition now posing a severe threat to the lives of children under five in Yemen.
The humanitarian crisis has caused devastating harm to children, according to warnings from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Malnutrition severely affects a child's physical and cognitive development, especially during the first two years of life. These effects are often permanent, resulting in long-term poverty and inequality.
Due to the ongoing war and blockade, the number of malnutrition cases and related deaths among children, newborns, and pregnant mothers has surged, alongside widespread food insecurity. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Environment, the number of children suffering from moderate to severe acute malnutrition between 2017 and 2024 has risen to 10,033,318. Furthermore, 180,650 children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition with complications, and 45% of children under five are stunted (short for their age).
Additionally, 5,997,092 pregnant and lactating women were affected by moderate acute malnutrition during the same period, with over 1.8 million women suffering from malnutrition and one million women suffering from anemia.
Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Environment, told the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) that the aggression and economic siege significantly contributed to the rise in malnutrition. The difficulty of importing basic commodities at the official exchange rate further worsens the country's food insecurity.
He pointed out that the blockade has led to a decrease in overall demand, deepened the economic recession, increased unemployment and poverty, and made access to essential social services, such as education, healthcare, and clean water, more difficult. It also deprived 1.5 million poor families of social welfare cash assistance.
According to Dr. Al-Asbahi, around 1.25 million state employees who support 6.9 million people, including 48.2% children, have suffered due to unpaid salaries, further exacerbating malnutrition.
He highlighted the rise in infectious diseases, noting that two out of every five children suffer from diarrhea, 60% from malaria, and over 50% from acute respiratory infections.
He also pointed out that in some areas, disease outbreaks, like suspected cholera cases, are contributing to the growing health crisis.
The spokesperson identified poor food quality and quantity among children as a major cause of acute malnutrition. Less than 40% of children meet the minimum dietary diversity, reflecting a critical lack of essential nutrients in their diets.
He further mentioned improper infant and young child feeding practices, with exclusive breastfeeding rates falling below 35% in northern regions and under 25% in more than 60% of southern regions—largely due to the lack of access to health and nutrition services.
Dr. Al-Asbahi reviewed the efforts made by the Ministry of Health in combating malnutrition, including expanding community-based treatment programs for malnutrition, opening new centers for managing severe acute malnutrition with complications, rehabilitating nutritional surveillance centers, and providing treatment for all forms of acute and moderate malnutrition.
The crimes committed by the coalition through ongoing aggression and blockade against the Yemeni people continue to speak for themselves, manifesting directly and indirectly across all sectors of life, including healthcare.
E.M
Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- Saba Yemen
NGOs: Aid entering northern Gaza insufficient
Gaza – Saba: Amjad al-Shawa, director of the NGO Network in Gaza, confirmed on Tuesday that the aid entering northern Gaza is insufficient. He said in press statements: "What has entered northern Gaza so far is insufficient, and we are waiting for food supplies." He continued, "No one has received any of the flour that has entered except those who were present at the trucks." For his part, an official with the Medical Relief Society in Gaza confirmed on Tuesday that aid centers have turned into death traps, and people are dying daily. He explained that the food rations distributed at aid centers are very small, indicating that injuries occurring directly near aid centers are fatal. The Medical Relief Society official added, "76,000 children are registered as suffering from malnutrition, and this is not an exhaustive number." He continued, "People are falling into the streets from extreme hunger," noting that at least 41 percent of kidney failure patients have died due to lack of resources. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that another day of aid distribution in Gaza is another day of death traps. Lazzarini explained in a statement on Tuesday that day after day, deaths and dozens of injuries are reported at distribution points run by Israel and private security companies. Earlier on Tuesday, the Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed, in a statement received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), that the number of martyrs at the "Israeli-American aid distribution centers" since this morning has risen to 36, with more than 208 injured, bringing the total number of victims at the "Israeli-American aid distribution centers" to 163. And 1,495 were injured, all of them starving civilians seeking a living under siege and starvation. With American and European support, the Israeli enemy army has continued to commit crimes of genocide in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom of 54,981 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 126,920 others. To date, this is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulance and rescue crews. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Saba Yemen
3 days ago
- Saba Yemen
WHO: al-Amal hospital in Gaza out of service
Rome – Saba: Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Tuesday that al-Amal Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip is out of service. In a post on X platform, Ghebreyesus said, "al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis is currently out of service due to increased attacks by the Israeli army in its vicinity," according to the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa). He noted that the hospital is no longer accessible, leading to more preventable deaths. The UN official explained that the hospital is no longer able to receive new patients, despite the presence of many in need of medical care. He noted that with the closure of Al Amal Hospital, Nasser Hospital is now the only hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, with an intensive care unit. Ghebreyesus added, "We once again call for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of health facilities, and unhindered access to essential medicines and medical supplies." Health services in the Gaza Strip are facing a complete collapse due to the systematic attacks launched by the Israeli occupation army on hospitals and medical facilities, as part of the genocide it has been perpetrating against the people of the Strip for more than a year and a half. With American and European support, the Israeli occupation army has continued to commit genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 54,981 Palestinian citizens, the majority of whom are children and women, and the injury of 126,920 others. This is a preliminary toll, with thousands of victims still buried under the rubble and on the streets, unable to be reached by ambulance and rescue crews. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Saba Yemen
6 days ago
- Saba Yemen
Military leaders inspect conditions of wounded in care centers, private hospitals
Sana'a - Saba: Major General Abu Bakr al-Ghazali, the Assistant Minister of Defense for Technology, along with Brigadier General Ahmed al-Khaiwani, Director of the Military Survey Department, and Brigadier General Mohammed al-Adhema, Director of the Legal Affairs Department, conducted inspections of the conditions of wounded Armed Forces personnel in Sana'a. Accompanied by Brigadier General Engineer Abdul-Ilah al-Azzi, Director of the Office of the Assistant Minister of Defense, they visited the 22 May Hospital, the Seventieth Care Center, and several private hospitals in the capital. During their visits, they received updates from hospital and care center officials regarding the health and treatment services provided to the wounded. The military leaders exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings with the wounded, conveying congratulations from the revolutionary and military leadership. They underscored that the sacrifices of the wounded serve as a testament to the strength and courage of Yemeni fighters in defending the nation's land, unity, and capabilities. They also highlighted the Revolutionary Leadership and Supreme Political Council's firm stance in supporting the Palestinian resistance. The officials asserted that Yemen has become a significant military force that cannot be disregarded globally, and that its current religious and moral position will not change until the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip ceases and the siege is lifted. They commended the high morale and unwavering determination of the wounded, who expressed a desire to return to the front lines to confront the Zionist and American aggression and secure victory for Yemen and the Islamic nation. The wounded expressed their gratitude for these Eid visits, viewing them as a reflection of the leadership's continuous concern for their well-being. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
