Malnutrition has two basic forms. The first and most important is protein-energy malnutrition or undernutrition, which comes from deprivation of food resources. The second type is micronutrient or vitamin and mineral deficiency. When discussing malnutrition in Africa and India it is the protein-energy or undernutrition type.
Numbers
Hunger Notes says 925 million people in the world are hungry or 13.1 percent of the world's population. Children are the most obvious victims of malnutrition. Undernutrition is responsible for 5 million child deaths each year. This is an increase in numbers since 1995 to 1997, the last time these numbers were estimated. Hunger Notes cites a neglect of agriculture relevant to very poor people by their governments and international agencies, the current worldwide economic crisis and the significant increases in food prices which has significantly impacted those who only a couple of dollars to spend as reasons for the increase numbers.
Undernutrition in Africa
According to Food 4 Africa, 1 in 10 infants die in the first year of life in Africa, due to malnutrition. Marsmus or kwashiorkor are commonly seen in African clinics. Marasmus causes weight loss and depletion of fat and muscle. Kwashiorkor, also known as wet, swollen or edematous form of malnutrition, occurs from lack of protein, often when a younger sibling displaces the older child from the breast. Gastroenteritis or other infections can also cause kwashiorkor. Food 4 Africa notes that 1 in 10 children suffer with severe malnutrition and 75 percent of South Africans have inadequate access to food.
Malnutrition in India
Twenty-five percent of the world's hungry live in India. That is 10 times the population of Texas or 230 million people. In flood-ravaged Bihar, India, many people lost their homes due to flooding and adults have lost their livelihoods. Malnutrition causes more than half of the deaths of children under 5 in India according to AmeriCares. A 2009 article in "The New York Times" stated that child malnutrition rates were worse in India than in many sub-Saharan African countries.
Politics and Economics
Economists lament that hunger does not have enough political clout to be a priority and "The New York Times" article notes that money for child nutrition programs remains unspent in many places in India. This may be because malnutrition is a malady of those who live in poverty and the poor carry little political clout.
References
- Hunger Notes: 2011 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics
- Food 4 Africa: 7 Facts of Malnutrition and Starvation.
- Merck Manual Online Library: Protein-Energy Undernutrition
- AmeriCares; Fighting Malnutrition in India; March 2009
- "The New York Times"; As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists; Somini Sengupta; March 2009
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