When fighting hunger and famine, there is no easy way to deliver sustainable amounts of food, nor has the fight to see that the suffering receive balanced nutrition come easy. However substancial improvements have been made, and products have been developed to better aid those suffering from malnutrition. Children no longer have to be taken to feeding centers, and parents can tend to their children at home, which would cause many to have to undergo a substantial journey. Thus the fight against hunger has already won the battle of convenience, but convenient it may be, widely used enough it is not.
With some 20 million children around the globe suffering from acute malnutrition, the way we approach their treatment is no small matter. Médecins Sans Frontieres, is now calling for a global move in the treatment of child malnutrition, stating that use of therapeutic ready-to-use foods (RUF), such as Plumpy'nut, should be dramatically increased.
Dr Christophe Fournier, the president of MSF's International Council stated, “It's not about how much food children get, it's what's in the food that counts. Without the right amounts of vitamins and essential nutrients in their diets, young children become vulnerable to diseases that they would normally be able to fight off easily. Given their effectiveness, the use of RUF should not be limited to children with severe acute malnutrition. It should be expanded to address malnutrition in young children before it progresses to a life-threatening stage (MSF urges new approach to malnutrition treatment).”
Fighting malnutrition at early stages is esential in the prevention of many related health issues, not to mention death in many children who are unable to recover by the time they receive care. By working to eliminate mild to moderate malnutrition, we will eventually eradicate severe acute malnutrition, and save millions of children from needless suffering and a million more lives. It is estimated that one million children die each year due to malnutrition, and yet we have the means and strategy to save them.
Ann Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF, cautioned that the use of Plumpy’nut “cannot be the only strategy to address the issue of severe malnutrition. You've got to have an agricultural strategy that provides adequate products for the population,” Veneman also stated the importance of breast-feeding in the fight against malnutrition (Peanut product to combat child malnutrition).
The use of Plumpy’nut has not been as widely used by other aid agencies in the past, as many claimed the high cost hindered the use of the product. However can one put a price on the life of a child? The cost of Plumpy’nut is around $20 per child, per month…it is hardly an extreme expense. While the use of Plumpy’nut and other RUF's should not be the sole saving grace against malnutrition, their cost should not be a factor.
Additional Links of Interest:
5 facts about starvation that could change the world agenda
