The latest research studies have shown that inadequate nutrition is responsible for more than one third of the child death cases and causes 10 % of the diseases across the globe. In other words, 3.5 million children die every year because of poor quality or lack of food. The figures are concerning, and not only that, but the numbers are said to double by 2015. At the same time, the numbers could decrease by up to 25 % if simple measures are to be taken.

Most problems occur even before the child is born, as nutrition during pregnancy plays a major part in the later development of the child, and continues in his infancy, when poor quality food can trigger a series of unwanted diseases. There is however a way to prevent at least a quarter of these deaths from happening, and that is by taking vitamin A supplements and by promoting breastfeeding.

Pediatricians and health experts have shown that if it doesn’t immediately lead to death, malnutrition will most certainly lead to irreversible damage that will interfere with the child’s future development. And this is a highly encountered situation in developing nations across Africa and Asia. Professor Caroline Fall said: “Having an undernourished mother or infant causes irreversible damage even if nutrition improves later in childhood – you don’t get the chance to recover much.” The extreme poverty issue affects millions of people worldwide, who lack access to health services, sanitation services or appropriate food.

Many governments and institutions are working together in order to reduce poverty in areas where the access to essential services is scarce. Malnutrition is responsible for triggering a series of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, but it also responsible for deficiency diseases and can lead to reduced intelligence in parts of the world where extreme famine has installed. Children die everyday because they simply have nothing to eat.