The malnutrition situation among the most vulnerable has worsened following the passage of tropical cyclone Freddy in Madagascar. New cases concern in particular the great South-East. UNICEF mentions 115,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition.
The almost complete destruction of agriculture in this part of the country is the main cause of this situation. The rice fields are flooded following the torrential rains generated by the cyclone. Practically dependent on their crops, the population finds itself without resources and without any possibility of feeding itself.
Screening and treatment centers have been set up by UNICEF to help victims of pathologies due to lack of food in certain localities: Anosy, Tsararafa, Farafangana. Many mothers go there with their children and there is an aspect of undernutrition that could be more deadly. At the same time, there is an upsurge in malaria in this region, reports this organization. This context worsens the fragility of a malnourished child and makes recovery difficult despite the distribution of therapeutic food.
In collaboration with local community agents, the UN organization is focusing these humanitarian actions on the deployment of a coordinated and large-scale response to prevent deaths and support the health system, according to its report. According to the latest analyzes of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, approximately 874,000 people suffer from acute food insecurity in the Greater South-East of Madagascar.