ADDIS ABABA, 24 June 2008 (IRIN) - The humanitarian situation in southern Ethiopia is becoming more critical, with increasing malnutrition being reported among young children in the past few weeks, a senior UN official said.

"The situation has actually [become] worse over the last few weeks," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative to Ethiopia, Bjorn Ljungqvist, said. "We saw the number of children requiring therapeutic feeding, including stabilisation, increase tremendously."

Wolyata, Hadyia, Kembata, Alaba, Guarage, Sidama areas in Southern and West Arsi of the Oromiya region were the worst affected, he added.

After visiting Guarage and Kembata, UNICEF deputy executive director Hilde Johnson told reporters in Addis Ababa: "Together with our nutrition and emergency experts we have analysed the situation on the ground. It is our assessment that [it] is extremely serious according to the most recent data."

More than 15,000 children are receiving treatment at therapeutic feeding centres in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's (SNNPR) and Oromiya regions, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"The nutrition crisis continues to escalate despite the concerted efforts of government and humanitarian partners to respond to the treatment needs of children," OCHA said on 20 June.

Risk of death

"Children are now at risk of dying in numbers in the hardest-hit areas if help is not provided urgently," Johnson said. "The government and partners are doing their utmost to help but needs are not met, at present, with adequate speed. More resources need to be provided."

NGO reports from East Badawocho in Oromiya, OCHA said, had found Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates of 15.9 percent and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) at 3.5 percent (with 2.2 percent oedema).

In Damot Pulaso, nutrition surveys found GAM rates of 16.7 percent and SAM at 2.9 percent. A GAM rate exceeding 15 percent reflects an emergency situation.

"We are worried that WFP [UN World Food Programme] only has funding to cater for about half the needs required for June and July," Johnson said. "Lack of an adequate response in the short term can further exacerbate the situation of children, who are also dependent on the availability of adequate food in their households."

UNICEF plans to scale up therapeutic and supplementary feeding in all affected areas, and address health hazards, emergency provisions of safe drinking water along with sanitation and hygiene education.

Food price factors

An estimated 4.5 million people need assistance because of drought and rising prices that have caused massive food shortages. Since September, the cost of some cereals has increased by between 50-90 percent, stretching the ability of some households to meet their food needs.

"Malnutrition rates in Ethiopia, already alarmingly high in some areas, are on the rise," Charles MacCormack, head of Save the Children, said. "The poorest households are now resorting to drastic actions to meet their food needs. Families are pulling their children from school because they cannot afford both food and school fees, putting their children to work, reducing spending on child healthcare and selling key productive assets including farm animals, equipment and tools."

However, the government has accused aid agencies of exaggerating the situation. "These humanitarian organisations are showing pictures of emaciated babies on television, telling the world six million children are malnourished and that there will be a calamity unless they receive funds," Deputy Prime Minister Adisu Legesse said on 20 June.

"While we appreciate assistance whenever it is needed, we reject being used as publicity to raise funds under false pretences."

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