LONDON - The director-general of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday an additional 10,000 children a month could die this year from malnutrition as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking at a U.N Food and Agriculture (FAO) conference, said he expected a 14% increase this year in children suffering from malnutrition as a result of the pandemic.
This equates to 6.7 million more malnourished children, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
“The pandemic has caused serious disruptions to essential services, immunization, maternal services, child nutrition, family planning and more,” he said.
“We cannot accept a world where the rich have access to healthy diets while the poor are left behind,” he added.