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The Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town says one in four children in South Africa are stunted.
The Health department has raised concerns about the increased levels of child stunting in the country, as more children suffer from malnutrition that ultimately affect their development and school performance.
Child stunting happens during pregnancy and early stages of development due to malnutrition in children.
To address this, a summit aimed at ending stunting is taking place this week under the theme: Courageous Action to End Stunting.
The Grow Great Stunting Summit has kicked off today in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
National Health Department Spokesperson, Foster Mohale says there has been a more than 20% increase of cases.
“Stunting remains a serious concern for the Department of Health and other stakeholders. The level of stunting in the country has increased from 27-28%. As a department, we call on society to join hands to scale up interventions. There are many contributing factors like food security, poverty and access to basic services.”
Meanwhile, medical practitioners say poor nutrition leads to impaired growth and various adverse effects on children.
Dr Edzai Mphaphuli says children who are affected by stunting grow up to become adults who are suffering from diabetes.
“Stunting is a very serious issue in South Africa; it’s more than a nutrition issue; it’s a social and economic justice issue. We have more than 1,5 million children affected by this issue and stunting costs the country over R68 billion every year,” says Mphaphuli.
