By Kabuye Ronald
About 30% of the children under the age of five years face stunted growth as a result of poor nutrition and this has resulted into severe death of children at a tender age.
Such Mal-nourishment has resulted into high levels of anemia most especially in rural areas.
The prevalence of anemia in rural areas is at 54% where as in urban areas is at 45% where Acholi region tops the list with 71% of children being anemic, 32% in Kigezi and 31% of children in Ankole region facing the problem.
Esther Nasike, a public healthy advocate working with Civil Society Alliance for Nutrition Uganda ( CISANU) noted that access to medical facilities, ignorance on nutrition are some of the causes of anemic prevalence in such rural areas.
Nasike reveals that the Government have put in place the Nutrition plan that will see mothers breastfeeding their children for the first 6 months before introducing complimentary feeding
Richard Baguma CISANU convener noted that anemia in children is mostly caused by parents who think local foods are not classy yet are the good source of nutrition.
