Thousands of young children in Burma will die within two to three weeks from hunger unless food reaches them soon, Save the Children says. Some children may already be dying from a lack of food in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.
Saturday 17 May 2008
Based on Save the Children nutrition research, an estimated 30,000 children under the age of five in the cyclone-affected Irrawaddy Delta were already acutely malnourished before the cyclone hit on 3 May. Of those, Save the Children believes that several thousand are at risk of death in the next two to three weeks because of a lack of food.
With hundreds of thousands of people still not receiving aid many of these children will not survive much longer.
"We are extremely worried that many children in the affected areas are now suffering from severe acute malnourishment, the most serious level of hunger," said Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK. "When people reach this stage they can die in a matter of days.
"Children may already be dying as a result of a lack of food. They urgently need nutrient and energy rich food, and food containing all the elements of a balanced diet. Save the Children is working flat out to deliver the aid they need and we have already reached over 140,000 people. We need to reach more before it is too late."
Save the Children also warned that the long-term food security of people in Burma is at risk because the cyclone has prevented many farmers sowing seed for the monsoon harvest. The Irrawaddy Delta, the region hardest hit by the cyclone, is also Burma's rice bowl. If farmers cannot plant seeds in the coming weeks they may be reliant on outside help for their survival until October 2009.
"Save the Children is aiming to get seeds to those whose land is no longer flooded so that farmers can sow in time for the monsoon," said Jasmine Whitbread. "If they are not able to plant seeds soon many will need help for the next year and beyond."
How you can help
Help children and their families in desperate need.
- Donate to Save the Children online or by calling 0800 8148 148
- Donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee