Malnutrition is “the world’s worst child health crisis”, according to philanthropist Bill Gates.
Business Day said Gates made the comment at the release of a report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he urged governments to do more to address child malnutrition.
Malnutrition causes stunting, which affects children physically and mentally, and wasting, which leaves children weak, emaciated and at risk of death. South Africa has a high rate of stunting.
“More than a quarter (27%) of children under the age of five are stunted, according to the 2016 SA Demographic and Health Survey,” Business Day reported.
Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates foundation, said there was a huge cost to society if governments did not address child malnutrition.
“If (children) grow up healthy, with a fully healthy body and brain, they are the workforce of the future. This is the most critical investment in human capital that any government can be making,” Suzman said.
The foundation’s Goalkeepers report highlights a range of simple, cheap and proven interventions for improving childhood nutrition, such as food fortification and the provision of vitamin supplements to pregnant women.
image: © European Union, 2024, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
South Africa’s high levels of stunting and malnutrition are among the reasons the South African poultry industry is calling for the removal of value added tax (VAT) from chicken. Chicken is the country’s most popular and most affordable meat protein, and is an essential component of the diet of low-income families. VAT-free chicken is a pro-poor proposal. Removing the 15% VAT charged on chicken would help poor families feed themselves and their children.
