Ethiopia

UNICEF Touts 'Game-Changing' Nutrition Pill for Africa

JAN 31 2024·Updated FEB 1 2024

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The Facts

UNICEF has been trialing a new all-in-one nutritional supplement that combines 15 vitamins and minerals in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to address childhood malnutrition as well as malnutrition during pregnancy, which can lead to several adverse outcomes including stunting and below-average growth in children.
The Telegraph
This comes as, since the COVID pandemic outbreak, the number of pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls affected by severe malnutrition has reportedly spiked from 5.5M to 6.9M. Delivered in multiple forms, the multiple micronutrient supplements are customized to provide optimal amounts of essential ingredients.
The Telegraph
The latest evidence suggests that this supplementation program can reduce low birth weight by 12%, preterm births by up to 8%, the rate of being small for gestational age newborn infants by 3-8%, stillbirths by 5%, and the overall six-month infant mortality rate by 7%.
Unicef
In Rwanda, where 33% of children under five are stunted and the maternal mortality rate is officially at 203 per 100K births, health officials announced in mid-January that the program would begin in five districts.
XINHUA
In Nigeria, where the 2018 Demographic Health Survey showed that more than three in five pregnant women were anemic, the transition from iron and folic acid supplementation to multiple micronutrient supplements was announced this week. Officials stressed that the use of multiple micronutrient supplements was approved in 2021.
The Guardian Nigeria
The reported low-cost, high-impact 180-day supplementation program was previously implemented in multiple districts in five regions of Ethiopia to improve the health and survival rates of pregnant mothers and their babies as part of the prenatal care program.
UNICEF Ethiopia

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Due to war and climate change, sub-Saharan Africa is suffering the worst malnutrition crisis in the world, with tragically high numbers of children suffering from rapid weight and muscle loss and stunted growth. Systems must be put in place to better detect these ailments, after which these issues can be solved when the international community provides them with the necessary foods or supplements to grow properly and thrive.

Unicef

Establishment-critical narrative

Climate change isn't causing regional conflicts and famines. In reality, it's the West and its nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and propaganda outlets that are instigating civil strife. When governments in Africa refuse to play along with the likes of NATO and the US, the West responds by stirring up conflict which results in the tragedies we see in the news today. Real solutions require addressing these deep systemic issues.

Grayzone