Health

About 17% children in the age group of 0-5 years are underweight, while 36% are stunted and 6% are wasted, the Women and Child Development Ministry said on Friday.

Stunted, wasted and underweight are key indicators of malnutrition in children aged between 0-5 years. Stunted growth refers to children who are too short for their age, typically resulting from chronic malnutrition.

Wasted refers to children who are too thin for their height, indicating acute malnutrition often due to a recent and severe weight loss. Underweight children have a low weight for their age, encompassing both stunting and wasting, and reflects either chronic or acute malnutrition, or a combination of both.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said, as per the data of Poshan Tracker for the month of June 2024, around 8.57 crore children under 6 years were measured, out of whom 35% were found to be stunted, only 17% were found to be underweight and only 6 per cent children under 5 years were found to be wasted.

According to the state-wise data shared by her, Uttar Pradesh exhibits the highest stunting rate at 46.36%, closely followed by Lakshadweep at 46.31%. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also report alarming stunting rates at 44.59% and 41.61% respectively.

The Karnataka government has issued an advisory asking the people of the state to avoid travelling to Malappuram district in neighbouring Kerala where a 14-year-old boy died on July 21 after he became infected with the Nipah virus.

The Commissionerate of Health and Family Welfare, however, said in a statement that as the case reported at Malappuram was one of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) (a Nipah symptom), and further high-risk contacts have been tested negative, the chance of human-to-human transmission seems very less and there is no need to panic at this moment.

It said no cases of Nipah have been reported in Karnataka till date.