Health Minister Sylvia Masebo has disclosed that Zambia is currently struggling with a triple burden of a high prevalence of micro-nutrition deficiencies among all age groups, indicating the presence of malnutrition in almost the entire population.
In a speech read for her by Ministry Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi at the National Nutrition Dissemination Forum in Lusaka today, Ms. Masebo says the key food consumption findings micro-nutrient deficiencies including those of iron, vitamin a and iodine are common among children in Zambia.
She says according to the findings, the inadequacy of calcium intake was extremely high for all age groups starting from children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women ranging from 97 to 100 percent.
Ms. Masebo adds that anemia prevalence among children between 6-56 months has remained the same at more than 50 percent since 1998.
And Ms. Masebo also says almost half adolescent girls had inadequate iron intake and one in three children aged between 24-59 months could not meet the iron intake while more than 90 percent of women consumed less than average zinc requirements.
At the same event, Deputy Head of Sweden’s Development Cooperation, Jonathan Francis said 35 percent of children in Zambia are stunted hence the urgent need for the country to address the micro nutrient deficiencies.
PHOENIX NEWS