40% of Pooneryn children under-5 malnourished

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 February 2003, 12:20 GMT]
During a seminar on the issue of nutrition held recently in Vanni, health officials in Pooneryn in Kilinochchi district informed that of the 3299 children of under 5 years in the region, 1371 are affected by malnutrition, sources said.

In addition, seminar attendees were told that 17 children died out of the 750 childbirths last year, .

Health officials indicated that severe economic embargo in the Vanni region for several previous years was the root cause for this health situation. Shortage of infant foods and lack of nutritional foods for expectant mothers contributed to the adverse health conditions of the young and premature deaths, health officials asserted.