Tag Archives: malnutrition

WFP BREAKS RECORD WITH FOOD SUPPORT IN SOMALIA AMID FAMINE RISK

MOGADISHU – The United Nations World Food Programme is delivering life-saving food and nutrition assistance to record numbers of people in Somalia, with over 4 million people a month receiving urgent humanitarian support to prevent famine in the face of the region’s worst drought in over 40 years.

The scale-up has helped keep the worst outcomes of Somalia’s hunger crisis at bay so far.

But the situation on the ground remains dire, with lives and livelihoods being lost. WFP is racing against time to avert a projected famine and a death toll that could reach the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Somalia, Baidoa, 12 October 2022 Nuuriya Ali Mohammed Nuur (30) and her baby Mohammed Nuur Mohammed (2 years old) travelled to Baidoa from a rural town in Southwest state. After four failed rainy seasons, all of Nuuriya’s livestock died due to the drought. She lost ten cows and one donkey which supported her livelihood. She has ten children and was only able to bring four children with her and the oldest stayed behind with their father. There were several stops on her journey to Baidoa, including walking on foot until she reached transportation to reach the camp. Her child was weak and malnourished when she arrived, but with WFP assistance he is starting to gain weight and become healthier. With no expectation to return and nothing left for her at home, she now lives in an IDP camp on the outskirts of Baidoa town, receiving both WFP relief assistance and nutrition services. She is receiving emergency relief cash assistance, each month receiving a mobile cash transfer to buy food. For nutrition, WFP is providing screening services for the baby, nutrition educational services for the mother on child nutrition, distribution of plumpy food for the baby, and referral to relief assistance receiving cash transfers. Photo: WFP/Geneva Costopulos

Additional information:

Somalia, Galkayo, Galmudug state, 6 August 2022 In the photo: struggling livestock goats and farmer in Qarqora, Galmudug. Photo: WFP/Geneva Costopulos
  • Nutrition prevention activities were almost entirely suspended from the second quarter of 2022 as WFP was forced to prioritize treatment services due to limited funds. The agency has resumed some prevention activities for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women and is working to do more.
  • WFP is reaching new rural areas, including in the famine risk districts of Baidoa and Burhakaba, with food assistance and cash transfers. WFP’s mobile money transfers are an efficient way to getting assistance rapidly to people in hard-to-reach areas.
  • WFP deployed a new helicopter in Somalia in September to deliver food assistance to hard-to-reach areas and get aid workers to the places they are needed most. The WFP-led Logistics Cluster is also using the helicopter to deliver humanitarian relief on behalf of other UN agencies and NGOs. The helicopter has so far conducted over 30 flights in September and October.
  • WFP is the largest humanitarian agency in Somalia, with 12 offices across the country providing coverage in every state.
  • WFP’s massive scale-up has largely been made possible thanks to timely support from key donors, particularly in recent months. It is essential that this is maintained. WFP has a funding gap of US$ 412 million / CAD$ 565.3 million across all activities for the next six months to March 2023, including a shortfall of US$ 315 million/ CAD$ 432.2 million for life-saving food relief and nutrition assistance.

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Featured image: Somalia, Baidoa, 12 October 2022 Nuuriya Ali Mohammed Nuur and her baby Mohammed Nuur Mohammed travelled to Baidoa from a rural town in Southwest state. After four failed rainy seasons, all of Nuuriya’s livestock died due to the drought. She lost ten cows and one donkey which supported her livelihood. She has ten children and was only able to bring four children with her and the oldest stayed behind with their father. There were several stops on her journey to Baidoa, including walking on foot until she reached transportation to reach the camp. Her child was weak and malnourished when she arrived, but with WFP assistance he is starting to gain weight and become healthier. With no expectation to return and nothing left for her at home, she now lives in an IDP camp on the outskirts of Baidoa town, receiving both WFP relief assistance and nutrition services. Photo: WFP/Geneva Costopulos

Many Adults Have Some Form Of Gum Disease

Oral and periodontal health are significant parts of the overall well-being of a person. As such, when you find yourself having issues with your teeth or gums, it is important to seek help right away.

A periodontist is best suited to treat problems with your gums as they have received specific training and experience in dealing with periodontal issues. It is actually quite easy to find periodontists in Brossard and nearby areas. But how do you know if you need to see a periodontist as soon as possible? Here are some situations where their expertise will be invaluable.

The Classic Case

The most common way for people to know if they need to visit a periodontist is when their dentist refers them to one. Your dentist will often be extremely familiar with your periodontal condition. If they find that something warrants a more in-depth check or if they need to confirm their initial thoughts about the condition of your periodontal health, he will often refer you to a local periodontist. There is usually a good professional relationship between periodontists and their referring dentists, so you know you will be getting the best care from both of them.

An Initial Evaluation

It is also highly recommended for patients to visit a periodontist even without being referred to one by a dentist. This is because there a lot of cases where an initial evaluation by a periodontist will be the only way to detect a particular disease or condition of the gums and other related organs.

This is especially relevant to those who have conditions that have been linked by scientific studies to an increased susceptibility to periodontal diseases. These include the use of tobacco products, malnutrition, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. People with these conditions should make it a habit to have their gums checked by a periodontist regularly.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that many adults above the age of 30 may have some form of gum disease, so it makes sense for everyone to have an evaluation scheduled to ensure the health of their gums and prevent gum disease.