Not all victims have access to nutritional aid: severe cases of acute malnutrition have been reported in the province of Sofala
During a two day exploratory mission along
the Buzy river west of Beira (principal town of the province of Sofala
in central Mozambique), our medical team encountered more than 3000 people
who had not received any nutritional aid since February 6. The team
was met by the inhabitants crowded along the river asking for food; at
Goonda, the team doctor Carole Dromer diagnosed five cases of Kwashiorkor
(severely acute malnutrition with a risk of death) among children younger
than five years old.
These few cases, observed along the river, are reason to fear a number of more important cases of malnutrition in the most isolated regions which are cut off from access to aid.
These few cases, observed along the river, are reason to fear a number of more important cases of malnutrition in the most isolated regions which are cut off from access to aid.
Today nutritional aid doesn't reach every victim. The observations of Médecins du Monde during this exploration were sent on March 8 to U.N. representatives of UNDAC in charge of coordination of aid for the province of Sofala, in order to bring emergency assistance to these populations before seeing the death toll rise on account of malnutrition.