One in four young children are at risk of stunted development due to restricted diet, a UN report has found. Such restricted diet, the report added, also harms children's brain development and chances of survival.&nbsp;

The United Nations previously designated "hunger hotspots" – including Palestine, Haiti and Mali – where access to food is likely to deteriorate in the coming months due to raging state of war.&nbsp;

In its latest report, UN's children's agency UNICEF assessed diets of under-five children. It found that nearly 181 million children from almost 100 countries consuming, at most, only two food groups on a daily basis – typically milk with a starchy food such as rice, maize or wheat.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deliberate-and-malicious-india-slams-harvard-study-claiming-67-million-children-zero-food-699568">'Deliberate and malicious': India slams Harvard study on so-called 'zero-food children'</a>

This meets the criteria for “severe food poverty” and means they are “children living on the brink”, according to Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director.

"This can have an irreversible negative impact on their survival, growth and brain development," she said. "Children who consume just two food groups per day, for example rice and some milk, are up to 50 per cent more likely to experience severe forms of malnutrition."

<h2>Income inequality not sole reason for stunted growth: UN report</h2>

The report found that household income was not the only driver of diet quality. Children from wealthier households in some countries were also found to be living in severe food poverty due to a predominance of unhealthy and non-nutritious foods, and a lack of knowledge among parents about what a healthy diet should look like.

Less than 10 per cent of children in severe food poverty are fed fruit and vegetables, and less than 5 per cent meat, poultry and fish.

In west and central Africa, severe child food poverty fell from 42 per cent to 32 per cent over the past decade.

Also watch |&nbsp;Sudan civil war leaves 18 million starving nationwide, UN warns famine in large parts of country

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"Armed violence and conflict remain the primary causes of acute food insecurity across numerous hunger hotspots," UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme said.

Chad, the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen were hotspots of “very high concern”, while Central African Republic, Lebanon, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe also remained on or joined the list.

(With inputs from agencies)

One in four young children are at risk of stunted development due to restricted diet, a UN report has found. Such restricted diet, the report added, also harms children's brain development and chances of survival.

One in four young children are at risk of stunted development due to restricted diet, a UN report has found. Such restricted diet, the report added, also harms children's brain development and chances of survival. The United Nations previously designated "hunger hotspots" – including Palestine, Haiti and Mali – where access to food is likely to deteriorate in the coming months due to raging state of war. In its latest report, UN's children's agency UNICEF assessed diets of under-five children. It found that nearly 181 million children from almost 100 countries consuming, at most, only two food groups on a daily basis – typically milk with a starchy food such as rice, maize or wheat. Also read | 'Deliberate and malicious': India slams Harvard study on so-called 'zero-food children' This meets the criteria for “severe food poverty” and means they are “children living on the brink”, according to Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director. "This can have an irreversible negative impact on their survival, growth and brain development," she said. "Children who consume just two food groups per day, for example rice and some milk, are up to 50 per cent more likely to experience severe forms of malnutrition." Income inequality not sole reason for stunted growth: UN report The report found that household income was not the only driver of diet quality. Children from wealthier households in some countries were also found to be living in severe food poverty due to a predominance of unhealthy and non-nutritious foods, and a lack of knowledge among parents about what a healthy diet should look like. Less than 10 per cent of children in severe food poverty are fed fruit and vegetables, and less than 5 per cent meat, poultry and fish. In west and central Africa, severe child food poverty fell from 42 per cent to 32 per cent over the past decade. Also watch | Sudan civil war leaves 18 million starving nationwide, UN warns famine in large parts of country × "Armed violence and conflict remain the primary causes of acute food insecurity across numerous hunger hotspots," UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme said. Chad, the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen were hotspots of “very high concern”, while Central African Republic, Lebanon, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe also remained on or joined the list. (With inputs from agencies)

One in four children under five at risk of stunted growth globally: UN report

Haiti is facing famine with the highest number of malnourished children ever according to the country's Health Ministry. Non-government organisations have said that as many as about 82,000 children at this moment in Haiti reportedly suffer from acute malnourishment.

After Gaza, Haiti on the brink of famine

Local officials in Sudan's Kassala province have discovered approximately 50 dead bodies floating on the river between Ethiopia and Sudan during the last week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound, probably individuals escaping the violence in the neighbouring Tigray area.

A Sudanese official said that forensic investigation is needed to determine the causes of death.

Two Ethiopian health workers in Hamdayet, a Sudan border town, reported witnessing the remains discovered in the Setit River, also known as the Tekeze in Ethiopia. 
 
Watch | Tigray rebel forces seize major town in new offensive

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The river runs through some of the most problematic sections of Tigray's nine-month conflict, where ethnic Tigrayans accuse Ethiopian and coalition forces of crimes while fighting Tigray forces.

Setit River is the current de facto borderline between territory controlled by Tigrayan forces and those controlled by Amhara forces allied with Ethiopia's federal government.

Ethiopia's central government and Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, went to war eight months ago.

Amhara troops linked to the central government have been accused of dumping dead in Tigray, which they deny.

(With inputs from agencies)

Local officials in Sudan's Kassala province have discovered approximately 50 dead bodies floating on the river between Ethiopia and Sudan during the last week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound, probably individuals escaping the violence in the neighbouring Tigray area.

Local officials in Sudan's Kassala province have discovered approximately 50 dead bodies floating on the river between Ethiopia and Sudan during the last week, some with gunshot wounds or their hands bound, probably individuals escaping the violence in the neighbouring Tigray area. A Sudanese official said that forensic investigation is needed to determine the causes of death. Two Ethiopian health workers in Hamdayet, a Sudan border town, reported witnessing the remains discovered in the Setit River, also known as the Tekeze in Ethiopia. Watch | Tigray rebel forces seize major town in new offensive The river runs through some of the most problematic sections of Tigray's nine-month conflict, where ethnic Tigrayans accuse Ethiopian and coalition forces of crimes while fighting Tigray forces. Setit River is the current de facto borderline between territory controlled by Tigrayan forces and those controlled by Amhara forces allied with Ethiopia's federal government. Ethiopia's central government and Tigray's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, went to war eight months ago. Amhara troops linked to the central government have been accused of dumping dead in Tigray, which they deny. (With inputs from agencies)

Tigray conflict: 50 corpses, many with hands tied found floating in Setit river

The United Nations children's agency said on Friday that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia's northern region of&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months, a 10-fold increase to normal numbers.

UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado said that one-in-two pregnant and breastfeeding women screened in&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;were acutely malnourished.

"Our worst fears about the health and well-being of children... are being confirmed," she told a briefing in Geneva.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/400000-people-facing-famine-in-war-torn-tigray-says-un-395470">400,000 people facing famine in war-torn Tigray, says UN</a>

Spokespeople for the prime minister and a government task force on&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;- where fighting between rebellious regional and federal forces have continued since November - did not immediately respond to requests for comment on UNICEF's statement.

Babies like 20-month-old Aammanuel Merhawi are suffering the most. He is a third below normal weight for his age. His feverish eyes glisten and his ribs are visible as he heaves, vomiting supplementary food fed through a nasal tube. All are signs of severe malnutrition.

"My milk dried up," his mother, Brkti Gebrehiwot, told Reuters at Wukro General Hospital in northern&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;on July 11.

Famine Conditions

Aid agencies say they are about to run out of the formula used to treat 4,000 severely malnourished children every month.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-offers-prayers-for-famine-hit-tigray-391172">Pope offers prayers for famine-hit Tigray</a>

At least three children have died in Wukro hospital since February, nurse Tsehaynesh Gebrehiwot said.

She provided their medical records: four-month-old Awet Gebreslassie weighed 2.6 kilogrammes (5.7 lb), a third of normal weight; one-year-old Robel Gebrezgiher weighed 2 kgs, less than a quarter of normal weight; and Kisanet Hogus, also a year old, weighed 5 kgs - just over half of normal weight.

All died within days of admission.

In Adigrat General Hospital further north, Reuters saw medical records confirming the death of three more malnourished children.

Doctors in both hospitals said they saw between four to 10 severely malnourished children monthly before the conflict erupted in November. Now numbers have more than doubled.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-analysis-about-350000-people-in-ethiopias-tigray-in-famine-390882">UN analysis: About 350,000 people in Ethiopia's Tigray in famine</a>

The UN&nbsp;says that around 400,000 people are living in famine conditions in&nbsp;Tigray, and more than 90 per cent&nbsp;of the population needs emergency food aid.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the Ethiopian government blamed&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;regional forces for blocking aid and said it had stockpiled reserve wheat in the region. It gave no details on the stockpile's location or plans for distribution.

The TPLF was unavailable for comment but has previously said it welcomes aid.

The UN&nbsp;says&nbsp;Tigray&nbsp;needs 100 trucks of food daily to prevent mass starvation; only one 50-truck convoy has gotten through in the past month.

The United Nations children's agency said on Friday that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months, a 10-fold increase to normal numbers.

The United Nations children's agency said on Friday that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months, a 10-fold increase to normal numbers. UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado said that one-in-two pregnant and breastfeeding women screened in Tigray were acutely malnourished. "Our worst fears about the health and well-being of children... are being confirmed," she told a briefing in Geneva. Also read | 400,000 people facing famine in war-torn Tigray, says UN Spokespeople for the prime minister and a government task force on Tigray - where fighting between rebellious regional and federal forces have continued since November - did not immediately respond to requests for comment on UNICEF's statement. Babies like 20-month-old Aammanuel Merhawi are suffering the most. He is a third below normal weight for his age. His feverish eyes glisten and his ribs are visible as he heaves, vomiting supplementary food fed through a nasal tube. All are signs of severe malnutrition. "My milk dried up," his mother, Brkti Gebrehiwot, told Reuters at Wukro General Hospital in northern Tigray on July 11. Famine Conditions Aid agencies say they are about to run out of the formula used to treat 4,000 severely malnourished children every month. Also read | Pope offers prayers for famine-hit Tigray At least three children have died in Wukro hospital since February, nurse Tsehaynesh Gebrehiwot said. She provided their medical records: four-month-old Awet Gebreslassie weighed 2.6 kilogrammes (5.7 lb), a third of normal weight; one-year-old Robel Gebrezgiher weighed 2 kgs, less than a quarter of normal weight; and Kisanet Hogus, also a year old, weighed 5 kgs - just over half of normal weight. All died within days of admission. In Adigrat General Hospital further north, Reuters saw medical records confirming the death of three more malnourished children. Doctors in both hospitals said they saw between four to 10 severely malnourished children monthly before the conflict erupted in November. Now numbers have more than doubled. Also read | UN analysis: About 350,000 people in Ethiopia's Tigray in famine The UN says that around 400,000 people are living in famine conditions in Tigray, and more than 90 per cent of the population needs emergency food aid. In a statement on Thursday evening, the Ethiopian government blamed Tigray regional forces for blocking aid and said it had stockpiled reserve wheat in the region. It gave no details on the stockpile's location or plans for distribution. The TPLF was unavailable for comment but has previously said it welcomes aid. The UN says Tigray needs 100 trucks of food daily to prevent mass starvation; only one 50-truck convoy has gotten through in the past month.

More than 100,000 children in Ethiopia's Tigray could die of hunger: UNICEF

A new UNICEF report says that a third of the world's population of children under five years of age are undernourished or overweight, and the picture does not look too good for India.

Nearly 50 per cent of children under five years of age in India are not growing well.

This means that they are either undernourished or overweight and will face lifelong health problems as a consequence of it.

These problems — which once existed at opposite ends of the wealth spectrum — have today converged in poor and middle-income countries, especially South Asia.

Over the last three decades, another form of child malnutrition that has surged across the developing world is excess weight.

The problem was virtually non-existent in countries such as India 30 years ago

But today at least 10 per cent of children under five are overweight or obese.

'Hidden hunger' is another factor that contributes to the poor health of students around the world.

Every one out of two children in the world continues to suffer from the phenomenon of hidden hunger.

The domination of fast food and the missing vitamins and minerals have now led to compromised immune systems, poor sight and hearing defects.

The triple burden of malnutrition — undernutrition, hidden hunger and overweight — threatens the survival and development of children all over the world.

As eating habits continue to deteriorate with children being on the front line of the problem, making sure every child has access to a healthy diet must become a "political priority" if widespread malnutrition is to be conquered.

A new UNICEF report says that a third of the world's population of children under five years of age are undernourished or overweight, and the picture does not look too good for India.

A new UNICEF report says that a third of the world's population of children under five years of age are undernourished or overweight, and the picture does not look too good for India. Nearly 50 per cent of children under five years of age in India are not growing well. This means that they are either undernourished or overweight and will face lifelong health problems as a consequence of it. These problems — which once existed at opposite ends of the wealth spectrum — have today converged in poor and middle-income countries, especially South Asia. Over the last three decades, another form of child malnutrition that has surged across the developing world is excess weight. The problem was virtually non-existent in countries such as India 30 years ago But today at least 10 per cent of children under five are overweight or obese. 'Hidden hunger' is another factor that contributes to the poor health of students around the world. Every one out of two children in the world continues to suffer from the phenomenon of hidden hunger. The domination of fast food and the missing vitamins and minerals have now led to compromised immune systems, poor sight and hearing defects. The triple burden of malnutrition — undernutrition, hidden hunger and overweight — threatens the survival and development of children all over the world. As eating habits continue to deteriorate with children being on the front line of the problem, making sure every child has access to a healthy diet must become a "political priority" if widespread malnutrition is to be conquered.

700 million children around the world victims of either undernourishment or obesity, including India

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