Victims of the economic crisis
A look at the Dow might give you a rough idea of how our country is faring economically. But the worst effects of the global economic crisis are being faced by the world's poor—especially children.
Last Sunday, Nicholas Kristof's column addressed the desperate situation of families in West Africa struggling to keep their children alive. Most of these children are suffering from starvation due to malnutrition. Rising food prices and loss of income have taken an enormous toll on their diet.
According to the World Health Organization website, iodine, vitamin A and iron are the "most important [micronutrients] in global health terms; their lack represents a major threat to the health and development of populations the world over, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries." Although these nutrients are only required in small amounts, children need them in order to grow.
The Helen Keller International website states that malnutrition is implicated in over five million child deaths per year. Seemingly healthy children from affected regions are also very likely to have micronutrient deficiency.
A 2004 report by UNICEF observed that methods such as food fortification, public education and disease control had been effective in restoring essential vitamins and minerals to severely undernourished children. By that time, developing countries were managing to supply at least two thirds of their children with vitamin A supplements, saving more than 300,000 young lives per year and preventing blindness in "hundreds of thousands" of children.
Kristof points out that the issue of malnutrition is often overlooked by the mainstream media. Doctors, public health workers and NGOs like HKI are doing amazing work—but much more can and should be done, as Peter Singer would argue. Extreme poverty in the twenty-first century does not make sense.
Last Sunday, Nicholas Kristof's column addressed the desperate situation of families in West Africa struggling to keep their children alive. Most of these children are suffering from starvation due to malnutrition. Rising food prices and loss of income have taken an enormous toll on their diet.
The Helen Keller International website states that malnutrition is implicated in over five million child deaths per year. Seemingly healthy children from affected regions are also very likely to have micronutrient deficiency.
A 2004 report by UNICEF observed that methods such as food fortification, public education and disease control had been effective in restoring essential vitamins and minerals to severely undernourished children. By that time, developing countries were managing to supply at least two thirds of their children with vitamin A supplements, saving more than 300,000 young lives per year and preventing blindness in "hundreds of thousands" of children.
Kristof points out that the issue of malnutrition is often overlooked by the mainstream media. Doctors, public health workers and NGOs like HKI are doing amazing work—but much more can and should be done, as Peter Singer would argue. Extreme poverty in the twenty-first century does not make sense.
Labels: global economic crisis, helen keller international, malnutrition, nicholas kristof, starvation, unicef, world health organization
This entry was posted by Marianna, on
Wednesday, May 27, 2009.
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