Colombo (News 1st) – Sri Lanka’s babies are starving! A comprehensive report by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health shows alarming levels of malnutrition among children under 5 years, nationwide, in October 2022.
Following the assessment, it was reported that a staggering 42.9% of children under 5 years are having some form of malnutrition problem which includes growth faltering, underweight, wasting, and stunting.
This alarming trend is seen in all age categories – infants, 1-2 years, 2-5 years – and in all three sectors – urban, rural and estates.The highest percentage of children under 5 years with any kind of malnutrion problem was reported from the Ampara district where 59.4% or 3 in 5 children are suffering from malnutrition.
A total of 1 million, 363 thousand, 7 hundred and 47 children were weighed and measured in all of Sri Lanka’s districts in the month of October.