By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon
Malnutrition was on the rise among children under five Director of the Family Health Bureau (FHB) Dr. Chithramalee de Silva told journalists on Wednesday.This has been revealed by surveys conducted on children’s nutrition in October 2022. The survey had focussed on the nutritional level of 95 percent of children under the age of five, she said.
“Around 15 percent of children under five were malnourished in October. That was a three-percent increase from September. There was a two percent increase in the number of children with stunted growth. The government and the Ministry of Health are taking steps to help those children,” she said.
In September, a UNICEF report revealed that over 5.7 million Sri Lankans including 2.3 million children were badly in need of humanitarian assistance. UNICEF said Sri Lanka was among the top ten countries with the highest number of malnourished children.