Jigawa treats over 29,000 acute malnutrition cases in six months – Official

The Jigawa State Government says it has treated over 29,000 cases of acute malnutrition in children in the last six months.

Mr Saidu Umar, the State Nutrition Officer, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Jos at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s mid-year review meeting.

It was reported that the review meeting organised by the UNICEF Field Office in Bauchi was aimed at reviewing the UNICEF’s activities in various sectors working in Plateau and Jigawa.

Umar said that the treatment was carried out in 64 Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) Centres in 12 local government areas of the state.

“We have admitted 29, 414 cases of acute malnutrition in the last six months in 64 CMAM Centres in 12 council areas of the state.

“This figure represents 88.6 per cent; 77 per cent of them were completely cured with two per cent defaulters and 0.2 per cent deaths recorded,” he said.

Umar said that the state government had put modalities on ground to intensify the fight against the menace in the state.

He said that 175 health workers in the state had been trained in the management of acute malnutrition in children as a way of curbing the trend.

The nutrition officer commended UNICEF for its support toward ending child malnutrition in the state.