Mbanza Kongo - Nineteen children under the age of five died from malnutrition during the first half of this year in Angolan northern Zaire province, which represents an increase of 15 cases compared to the same period in 2023.
The information was provided Monday to ANGOP, by the provincial supervisor of nutrition, Juliana Massamba, who stressed that the deaths occurred in the municipality of Soyo.
She said that 133 cases of moderate malnutrition were diagnosed during the period under review, of which 80 were treated, 28 are under medical monitoring and six have abandoned treatment.
The district of Soyo leads the list of cases, with 94 occurrences, followed by the municipalities of Nzeto, with 24, Cuimba (9) and Mbanza Kongo, with six records.
Among the causes of malnutrition in children under five years old in the region, the official pointed out early weaning, as well as the prolonged interval that the children go without feeding.
She advised mothers to make their babies' meals based on soups and porridge made of pumpkin, avocado, banana, cassava, sesame, yam, sweet and reindeer potatoes, mushrooms, among other nutritious products.
Among the signs of malnutrition in children, the public health specialist mentioned swelling of some limbs of the body, weight loss, yellowish hair and lack of appetite.
She informed that acute malnutrition in children under five years of age can delay their cognitive ability and compromise their development from an anatomical point of view.
In terms of support, the source said that the Department of Public Health in the region distributed, in the first six months of this year, 300 boxes of Planutri (food that contains nutritional supplements for babies), in the municipalities of Mbanza Kongo, Soyo, Nzeto, Cuimba, Tomboco and Nóqui. DA/JL/DOJ
