Uganda: Save the Children warns child malnutrition is worsening

Save the Children has warned that child malnutrition is on the rise in Uganda. According to the organisation, the number of acutely malnourished children in the Karamoja region of the northeast of the country is predicted to rise by 25 percent by 2026. Save the children added that El-Nino-related dry spells are significantly affecting children’s health. New figures show the number of children suffering from malnutrition has increased from 122,100 to 154,200 since an assessment back in June. Among those children are an estimated 38,000 grappling with or expected to grapple with the worst form of malnutrition that needs urgent medical attention. Home to around 1.6 million people, Uganda’s Karamoja region has seen worsening food insecurity over the course of the past few months. It comes as the region and other drought-prone areas in Uganda and east Africa are feeling the impact of the super El Niño, with sparse rainfall contributing to localised crop failures and plant stress.