Five more kids die of food shortage in Tharparkar

THARPARKAR (92 News) – Five more children died of food shortage in the hospitals of Chachro and Mithi on Wednesday. With the recent deaths, toll has reached 33. Sources in the hospital said that the infants had died due to malnutrition during the treatment. After which the death toll climbed to more than 300 this year. The major causes of these deaths were malnutrition and lack of proper healthcare facilities in the Tharparkar district of the Sindh province. The Sindh government is resorting to mere announcements while death toll in Tharparkar is rising with each passing day. Tharparkar is a home to more than six million cattle which provide source of income to residents. However, locals have started migrating to other areas as fodder for their cattle is all consumed before the expected time. Famine-struck people have demanded the government announce a package for their ease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, if the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate among children and women is above 15 percent, it is to be considered an emergency situation. During the National Nutrition Survey conducted in 2011, the GAM rate in the province of Sindh is 17.5 per cent and the Severely Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 6.6 per cent.