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Special Report: The Hungry Generation -- The Independent, London

Paul Vallely reports on new research from Save the Children regarding hunger, malnutrition and the negative effects on the well-being and human individual potential besides the calculable economic impacts of society-wide hunger. "A quarter of young children around the world are not getting enough nutrients to grow properly, and 300 die of malnutrition every hour…There are 170 million children aged under five whose development has been stunted by malnutrition because of lack of food for them and their breastfeeding mothers…according to research by the charity Save the Children…Over the past five years the price of food has soared across the globe…The poor, who spend the bulk of their income on food, are hit hardest…malnutrition is often not recorded as a cause of death on birth certificates, leading to a lack of action across the developing world. With early intervention, the life-long physical and mental stunting from hunger can be eased, enabling individuals to reach their potential…high-profile campaigning and investment accorded to other causes of child mortality such as malaria, measles or Aids…has produced results. Child deaths from malaria have been slashed by a third since 2000, yet child malnutrition in Africa has fallen by less than 0.3 per cent each year over the same time frame… Most malnourished children…do not die but are diminished, physically and mentally. The World Bank estimates that stunting reduces the GDP of developing countries by between 2 and 3 per cent."...

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Source: Harvard World Health News - Wednesday, 22 February


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