UN agency reports 2.2 million Yemeni children hungry and in need of care

Some 2.2 million Yemeni children are hungry and in need of urgent care with one child dying every ten minutes due to malnutrition, diarrhoea or respiratory tract infections, UNICEF has reported.

Some 2.2 million Yemeni children are hungry and in need of urgent care with one child dying every ten minutes due to malnutrition, diarrhoea or respiratory tract infections, UNICEF has reported.

UNICEF said on Monday that at least 462,000 children were suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) – which means they were extremely underweight for their height, also known as “stunting.” This is an increase of almost 200 percent since 2014.

These figures are at an “all time high,” UNICEF said in a statement. The Sa’ada governorate in the northwest of Yemen reported the world’s highest stunting rates, affecting eight out of 10 children in some areas.

Other governorates – Hodeida, Taizz, Hajjah and Lahej – were also badly affected after 20 months of war. Yemen’s health system is on the verge of collapse, UNICEF added.