Three more infants succumb to malnutrition in Tharparkar

By
GEO NEWS
Pakistani villagers tend to their children, affected by famine, at a government hospital in Mithi, the capital of Tharparkar district. Photo: AFP
 

THARPARKAR: The toll of children dying for various reasons in Sindh’s Tharparker region continues to rise as three more children succumbed to malnutrition.

The Sindh health department said the deaths took place at Civil Hospital, Mithhi with the deceased including three infants.

The recent death of three children has taken the death toll in Tharparker to seven for this month and 483 for the year.

According to the health department, every year 1,500 children die due to malnutrition, infections and lack of proper medical facilities in the remote region.

A report released by the United Nation’s Children Fund in April stated that Pakistan is among countries with the highest infant mortality rates, with 22 infants dying before turning one month old.

Among these countries, eight are in Africa and two in Asia, including Afghanistan which is ranked third.

“Pakistan is the riskiest place to be born as measured by its newborn mortality rate,” the report stated. “A baby born in Pakistan is almost 50 times more likely to die during his or her first month than a baby born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore.”