Over 25,000 Children Diagnosed with Malnutrition in Huila

Huila: At least 25,759 children under five years of age were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition during the first semester of this year in Huila province, a rate of 13%, 4.9% lower than in the same period in 2024, the director of the provincial health office, Paulo Luvangamo told ANGOP. According to Angola Press News Agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines malnutrition as a nutritional imbalance caused by inadequate nutrient intake, resulting in weight and height deficits, a common condition in developing countries. Malnutrition can also refer to the excessive intake of calories and nutrients, resulting in overweight or obesity, a situation more common in developed countries. The WHO states that the normal rate of malnutrition should be less than or equal to five percent. Early weaning due to a new pregnancy, family poverty, and cultural factors are cited as the main causes of malnutrition in the province. Paulo Luvangamo noted that these cases are from a total of 203,977 children evaluated in special nutrition units in Huíla. Of the screenings performed, in addition to the 25,759 cases of severe acute malnutrition, there are 13,721 children with moderate acute malnutrition, 12,038 with severe acute malnutrition, and 178,218 healthy minors recorded. The health official reported a mortality rate of 9.3% in the first half of the year, highlighting that the municipality of Chibia is in a critical situation, with a total of 35% of cases. "According to WHO, the acceptable level is 5%, so in Huíla the situation remains worrying, coupled with the need for better treatment response with nutritional supplements," he stated. Despite receiving donations from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP), the province does not have sufficient quantities of nutritional supplements to meet the demand. Luvangamo urged families to seek livelihoods through subsistence farming and called on non-governmental organizations to continue educating communities about family farming to im prove their diets and generate income.