TAPPITA, Nimba − A non-governmental organization responding to the needs of less fortunate children affected by malnutrition has declared Tappita and its surrounding areas a ‘red zone’ for malnutrition.
Hope for the Nations Liberia made the pronouncement at the end of a three-day baseline assessment activities in partnership with the Jackson F. Doe Regional Referral Hospital.
With 46 of 50 children screened found with acute malnutrition, the assessment, which included community engagement awareness, radio talk show, and door-to-door discussion, found severe malnutrition occurring at a high rate, a situation the partner described as alarming and called for quick intervention.
The organization’s children’s recovery center supervisor, Elvis Gbunblee, told The Bush Chicken that the assessment was triggered by a request from the hospital amid the challenges encountered while treating malnourished children.
Gbunblee, however, attributed the situation to poor personal hygiene practices, improper feeding, lack of health education, and other underlying health conditions left untreated.
“Some may have the financial means to buy proper food for their children, but again, the child might have other health challenges like worm infestation, bacteria, virus or fungus or parasite that are causing hindrance to the child food absorption,” he said.
“So once the child’s food is not [being absorbed] well, the child is going to be malnourished because when we eat food, the food has to be absorbed well so that the cells can utilize the nutrients in the food for the body to be okay. Once the food is not being absorbed well, what will happen is that the body will just send it outside as a waste. That is why right after eating most of the children can go to the toilet.”
He said his organization would take children with severe malnutrition to its feeding center in Ganta for proper nourishment, as Tappita does not have a feeding center. He said the children will also be given symptomatic treatment for different health situations causing their malnourishment.
“When a child has malnutrition, there are so many complications. The child may have diarrhea, pneumonia, tuberculosis, HIV, and even malaria, and so when we notice these conditions are on the children, we take them to the requisite areas for treatment. But if the children don’t have these conditions, we can treat them immediately because malnutrition is an immune suppression condition,” he noted.
He further assured that the organization also wanted to establish a feeding center at Jackson F. Doe Referral Hospital.
Featured photo courtesy of the Jackson F. Doe Hospital
