Two more children die of malnutrition in Tharparkar

THARPARKAR (92 News) – Two more children died in famine-hit Tharparkar today (Monday), taking death toll to 37 in the current month. Sources at the hospital said that the infants were died due to malnutrition during the treatment. After which the death toll reaching to 37 for this month. The major causes of these deaths were malnutrition and lack of proper healthcare facilities in the Tharparkar district of the Sindh province. Tharparkar is a home to more than 6 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 had demanded the government to 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.