Improving Child Health and Development Doesn’t Have to Be an Olympian Endeavor – Global Issues
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GENEVA, Aug 07 (IPS) – From 11-year-old Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao to 16-year-old American gymnast Hezly Rivera, several children have reached the pinnacle of world sport at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Yet at the same time, millions of other children around the world are denied the opportunity to unlock their full potential simply because of a lack of access to basic nutritious food and disease-preventing vaccines.
As young athletes impress and inspire a global audience, the Games are the perfect time to reflect on how to level the playing field for all children. Integrating nutrition and immunization as pillars of healthy development can be transformative, ensuring that every child is able to reach their full potential in whatever field they choose.
Conditions for healthy development include both the absence of disease and the presence of adequate nutrition, which creates a virtuous cycle that allows children to thrive. Vaccines initiate strong immunity in children who eat a healthy diet, while those who are malnourished are more vulnerable to infectious diseases.
Unconsciously, in this day and age, both malnutrition and preventable infectious diseases kill millions of children every year.
Globally, more than 14 million children are unvaccinated or under-immunized – an increase of 2.7 million compared to pre-pandemic levels – and almost a quarter of children under five were disabled by 2022 due to malnutrition.
However, immunization and nutrition interventions are proven to be one of the most cost-effective ways to help children survive and thrive. One dollar invested in nutrition provides an average return of US$16, rising to US$35 for exclusive breastfeeding, while the return on investment for vaccination in Gavi-supported countries is estimated to be between US$21 and US$54 per $1 spent.
This is especially important in low- and middle-income countries where immunization rates are very low, malnutrition is widespread and resources are limited. The latest UN statistics show that more than half of unvaccinated children live in 31 countries that face conflicts and other risks, which disrupt access to nutrition and health services.
The same children often miss both nutritional supplements and important vaccines, which means that integrated health services will solve two problems at once.
Coordinated nutrition and vaccination can be done at the same clinic or community health center, or through the same health service.
Uganda is one country that has taken serious steps towards integration, and is planning to transition to integrated provision of nutritional supplements and vaccines based on the learnings of several pilot programs.
Meanwhile, Action Against Hunger and partners in Somalia are holding a coordinated campaign to address rising levels of malnutrition and disease during the 2022 protracted drought, which will affect 7.8 million people.
The campaign reached more than 200,000 children with measles, deworming and vitamin A supplementation, and screened more than 185,000 children under the age of five for wasting. Among referral areas for people with severe malnutrition, the average treatment rate was 83 percent and malnutrition decreased significantly during the campaign period.
If more governments were able to adopt and measure such levels of integrated service delivery as part of basic health care, more countries could achieve Universal Health Coverage to reduce preventable death, morbidity and malnutrition among children.
As the world celebrates the incredible achievements of the young Olympians, the international community also has a window to change the future of millions of children around the world.
From the 2024 Games to the implementation of Gavi and , which has followed the Olympics since 2012, world leaders have the opportunity to invest in research and collaboration to integrate nutrition and immunization as key components of healthy development. This is a winning formula for many children to succeed – in track, field and pitch, and in life.
Afshan KhanAssistant Secretary General of the UN and Coordinator of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
Sania NishtarCEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
IPS UN Bureau
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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