The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday at least 250,000 out of 1.2 million children in Zamfara are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristianah Munduate, stated this at a news briefing, in Gusau. the state capital.
Munduate said one out of every 10 children in the state was staring at death, while stunting among children aged between 0 to five years was at an alarming of 45.2 percent.
She said: “We are here to address a pressing crisis affecting millions of children in Zamfara and across Nigeria.
“Nearly 5.4 million under-five children in the North-West and North-East are suffering from acute malnutrition with projections indicating an additional one million cases by April 2025.”
The UNICEF official revealed that the neonatal mortality rate in Zamfara was 42 per 1,000 live births.
Munduate added: “Only 21.5 percent of pregnant women attended 4+ antenatal visits, and institutional deliveries stood at a mere 15 percent.
“With a shocking 62,000 pregnant women, only 13 percent of the total, have access to skilled birth attendants.
“Immunisation rates remain critically low, with Penta 3 coverage at just 9.6 percent.”