Malnutrition rates increased despite improvements in Food Security measures #southsudan

Tens of thousands of children under the age of five
remain at risk of malnutrition-related death in South Sudan,
despite temporary improvements in the food security
situation, a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase
Classification (IPC) group of experts revealed.
Malnutrition, especially among young children, is not
mirroring improvements in food security because of high
rates of disease, lack of safe water and lack of access to
basic health care, says the report.
"Diarrhoea and other illnesses prevent children from
absorbing nutrients, so even where there is improved
access to food, children can still be dangerously
malnourished", it added.
Those in conflict-affected areas, especially the 1.4 million
people who are internally displaced, more than half of whom
are children are reportedly the most at risk.
According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF),
malnutrition rates for children are at critical or serious
levels in most parts of South Sudan. In some areas where
large numbers of people displaced by the conflict have
gathered, the rates of acute malnutrition for children are
reportedly over 30 per cent - more than double the officially
recognised emergency levels.
The situation has been worsened by the rainy season which
has made it practically difficult to deliver to malnourished
children the required humanitarian assistance.
"Thousands of malnourished children who have not yet
been reached remain in peril," said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF
Representative in South Sudan.
"We have to take advantage of the coming dry season - and
passable roads - to preposition life-saving supplies for the
treatment of children suffering from malnutrition. It is
critical that we are able to accelerate our response during
this window of opportunity", he added.
The latest IPC analysis projects that 1.5 million people will
be in "crisis and emergency food insecurity levels" from
September through December, an improvement over the last
projection, as the coming months represent the harvest
season.
The IPC also credited humanitarian assistance for
improvement in some areas.
The IPC further warned that the outlook for 2015 remains of
great concern, with 2.5 million people at crisis or
emergency levels from January to March.
An additional $25 million, UNICEF says, is urgently to
enable it scale up its nutrition response and preposition
life-saving nutrition supplies during the coming dry season.