Starvation lurks in Matabeleland south, lives in danger

GWANDA - SCORES OF children have succumbed to malnutrition in Gwanda South, Matabeleland South province as food stocks start running out from last year's harvests.

This has seen most children suffering from kwashiorkor admitted in hospitals and clinics in the province, as they have no food for consumption.

Health officials and villagers in Gwanda South on Friday pleaded with aid agencies to intervene, saying the situation would worsen if urgent measures are not taken.

Gwanda South received good rains after years of poor downfalls last year, but a combination of factors, like crop-eating locusts, left villagers facing hunger.

Nurses at Manama Hospital in Gwanda South could not provide exact statistics on the number of children that had been affected by kwashiorkor this month alone, only saying they started recording the disease last month.

Matabeleland South Provincial medical director William Busumani confirmed that malnutrition, a condition caused by lack of food and resulting from eating a diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, had hit the province, saying the Health and Child Care ministry is embarking on a programme to fight the disease.

"We have seen cases of malnutrition affecting children due to the shortage of food," he said.

"But the Health and Child Care ministry nutrition department is working hard to eradicate such diseases.

"Community-based programmes are being put in place by the ministry to deal with malnutrition and other diseases caused by hunger.

"We have a lot of development partners that give support in terms of food supply.

"We also have a nutrition department in the ministry to look into cases of malnutrition."