New Delhi: Underlining that there is a direct link between malnutrition and diseases, India country director of UN World Food Programme Bishow Parajuli suggested safeguarding and promoting access to nutritious, safe, and affordable diets and investing in improving maternal and child nutrition to protect children's right to nutrition in the COVID-19 pandemic.
India has been battling high prevalence of malnutrition among its population, especially children, with National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015-16) data showing that 35.7 per cent children below five years are underweight, 38.4 per cent are stunted and 21 per cent are wasted in the country. Even NFHS-5 which was conducted in 22 states and union territories presented a grim scenario and showed a rise in malnutrition.
The World Food Programme India's country director said malnutrition is particularly lethal in combination with infectious diseases such as ARI, malaria, measles, diarrhoeal diseases –the major killer diseases affecting children.
Responding to a question if malnutrition can become a comorbidity for children infected with COVID-19, he said in general, there is a direct link between malnutrition and diseases like coronavirus disease.
"Malnutrition can make a person more susceptible to infection through a lowered immune response, and infection further contributes to malnutrition resulting in a vicious cycle of repeated infections, reduced immunity, and deteriorating nutritional status. It is known that malnutrition magnifies the effect of disease and a malnourished person has more severe disease episodes, more complications, and spends more time ill for each episode," he said.
There have been speculations that the third wave of COVID-19 may impact children more. However, the available evidence show that children are as much affected as adults.
"It is, however, important that parents and caregivers of children get vaccinated so that they act as a protective ring around the children till such time vaccination is not opened up to young children," he further said.