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10 percent of Harare's school children suffering from kwashiorkor: report
Prince Nyathi, ZimOnline
August 11, 2007

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1831

Harare - At least 10 percent of all school children in Harare's working class suburbs are suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunted growth, according to a report released this week by the Harare city council. The department of heath council report, that graphically captures the worsening economic crisis in Zimbabwe, says cases of kwashiorkor had last year increased by 43.7 percent from the 2005 figures. "Acute under-nutrition or wasting also increased during 2006, compared to the previous year. The number of kwashiorkor cases increased by 43.7 percent," says the report. Kwashiorkor is a disease that is caused by lack of proteins and is common is impoverished communities. The report says most of the cases were recorded in Harare's working class suburbs of Dzivarasekwa, Kuwadzana, Mabvuku and Mbare where there is widespread poverty. "Overally acute under-nutrition or wasting increased during 2006, compared to the previous year and it also increased, with the Grade Threes worse off than the Grade Ones," says the report.

Zimbabwe is in the grip of a severe economic crisis that has manifested itself in rampant inflation of over 4 500 percent last May, widespread poverty and unemployment. At least 80 percent of Zimbabweans are out of employment leaving the few who are still lucky to hold formal jobs struggling to put food on the table for their families. The report says none of the kwashiorkor cases were recorded in children above the age of 15. "The findings may be due to the harsh economic situation being felt throughout the country by the majority of Zimbabweans," says the report. Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa could not be reached for comment on the matter. Zimbabwe, once touted as a shining beacon and a model economy for black Africa, is fighting its most crippling economic crisis described last year by the World Bank as unprecedented for a country not at war. The United Nations Children and Education Fund (UNICEF) last year said there had been a serious deterioration in care for Zimbabwean children resulting in many deaths for children under the age of five. Zimbabwe is also at the epicenter of an HIV/AIDS pandemic that is mowing down at least 3000 people every week leaving hundreds of thousands of orphans without parental care.

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