THE alert follows the release of the latest analysis of the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), which reveals that a record number of people in the Caribbean country are experiencing acute levels of hunger.
“Half of Haiti suffers from hunger”, PAM said executive director Cindy McCain in a tweet.
“While 5.7 million people face severe hunger, child malnutrition has doubled in just two years,” she added.
Today, 14 percent of children under five are malnourished, up from 7 percent, with some regions recording even higher rates.
$139 million needed
The UN agency stressed that armed violence, economic decline, persistent inflation and low agricultural production are fueling Haiti’s deepening crisis.
“The WFP has reached a record number of 2.2 million Haitians, but it is not enough. We urgently need resources to support families in need,” said Ms. McCain.
Over the next 12 months, the agency will need $139 million to help Haiti’s most vulnerable people, as the crisis remains severely underfunded.
Sudan: UN condemns repeated attacks against civilians in El Fasher
At least 57 civilians were killed Friday and Saturday by drone attacks in El Fasher, Sudan.
At a press briefing on Monday, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq echoed statement by the country’s humanitarian coordinator, Denise Brown, in which she “condemned in the strongest possible terms the repeated and deliberate attacks on civilians in the besieged town of El-Fasher.”
In her statement, Ms. Brown stressed that “hospitals, shelters and places of refuge must not be targeted” and reiterated her call for “respect for international humanitarian law and an immediate end to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
The attacks were reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the parties to the conflict in Sudan, and hit a place where displaced people had sought refuge.
Haq added that in recent days, the UN has seen reports from local community leaders of new civilian casualties in an alleged drone strike in an area controlled by the RSF.
“We and our humanitarian partners remain committed to supporting the people of El Fasher and all those affected by the conflict in Sudan, but the humanitarian community needs safe and unhindered access,” he said. said.
“Civilians must be protected and, above all, the Sudanese people need the violence to stop. »
Maldives is the first country to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B
The Maldives has become the first country to end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Monday, hailing the development as a historic public health achievement.
The island nation, located in the Indian Ocean, has already eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and this HIV milestone is proof of its commitment to providing healthcare for all, the UN agency said.
“The Maldives has shown that with strong political will and sustained investment in maternal and child health, it is possible to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of these deadly diseases and the suffering they cause,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Mother-to-child transmission leads to infections that affect millions of people worldwide.
In Southeast Asia alone, more than 8,000 infants will be born with congenital syphilis in 2024, the WHO said.
Around 25,000 HIV-positive pregnant women have required treatment to prevent transmission to their babies, while hepatitis B continues to affect more than 42 million people in the region.
WHO said it would support the Maldives in its efforts to advance maternal, child and adolescent health.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
