According to the 'Nutrition Month' report released by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health, it has been reported that over 15,000 children under the age of 5 are currently suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in the year 2023.
The report states that a total of 15,763 children across the country are experiencing severe acute malnutrition.
However, this number is lower than the previous year, as in 2022, there were a total of 18,420 children suffering from SAM.
In addition, the percentage of children under the age of 5 who are underweight has increased from 15.3% in 2022 to 17.1% in 2023. Nuwara Eliya has the highest percentage of underweight children at 26.4%.
The report highlights that compared to the data from the previous year's nutrition month, all districts, except Vavuniya, have shown an increase in the percentage of underweight children.
