The Gauteng Health Department has urged parents to report cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition among children earlier, to prevent future complications.
In the previous financial year, the department reported over 1000 malnutrition cases. The highest incidences occurred in the Cities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
The Department’s spokesperson Motalatale Modiba says Severe Acute Malnutrition is a critical health issue that leads to extreme weight loss, leaving affected children more vulnerable to infections such as diarrhoea and tuberculosis.
“Even though this is something that can actually be attended to, alarmingly, many cases are only identified when children are already in severe distress, often presenting with complications such as hypoglycaemia, hypothermia and sepsis. Therefore, we continue with our efforts where we are strengthening early detection.”
