GENEVA, Aug 7 (IPS) – From 11-year-old Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao to 16-year-old American gymnast Hezly Rivera, multiple children reached the pinnacle of world sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the same time, millions of other children around the world are being denied the chance to reach their full potential, simply because they lack access to basic nutrition and vaccines that prevent disease.
As young athletes wow and inspire audiences around the world, the Games are the perfect time to think about how we can level the playing field for all children. Integrating nutrition and immunization as cornerstones of healthy development can be a game-changer, allowing every child to reach their full potential in whatever field they choose.
The conditions for healthy development include both the absence of disease and the presence of adequate nutrition, creating a virtuous circle in which children can flourish. Vaccines activate the strongest immunity in children with a healthy diet, while children who are malnourished are more susceptible to infectious diseases.
It is unacceptable that malnutrition and preventable infectious diseases claim the lives of millions of children every year in this day and age.
Worldwide, more than 14 million children are unvaccinated or undervaccinated – an increase of 2.7 million compared to pre-pandemic levels – while almost a quarter of children under the age of five had stunted growth in 2022 due to an unhealthy diet.
Yet immunization and nutrition interventions have been shown to be among the most cost-effective approaches to helping children survive and thrive. One dollar invested in nutrition yields a return of US$16, rising to US$35 for exclusive breastfeeding, while the return on investment for immunization in Gavi-supported countries is estimated to be between US$21 and US$54 per US$1 spent.
This is especially important for low- and middle-income countries, where vaccination rates are lowest, malnutrition is high and resources are scarce. The latest UN figures show more than half of unvaccinated children live in 31 countries where they are exposed to conflict and other vulnerabilities, disrupting access to food and health care.
Often the same children do not receive nutritional supplements and essential vaccinations. Integrated health care would therefore solve two problems at once.
Integrated nutrition and immunization can be achieved in the same clinic or local health facility, or through the same health worker.
Uganda is a country that has taken proactive action on integration and plans to move towards integrated provision of nutritional supplements and vaccines based on lessons learned from various pilot programmes.
Meanwhile, in Somalia, Action Against Hunger and partners have launched an integrated campaign to tackle rising levels of malnutrition and disease during the prolonged drought in 2022, which affected 7.8 million people.
The campaign reached over 200,000 children with measles vaccines, deworming and vitamin A supplements, and screened over 185,000 children under five for wasting. Among referral sites for severe acute malnutrition, the average cure rate was 83 percent and malnutrition rates decreased significantly over the campaign period.
If more governments could implement and scale up such levels of integrated service provision as part of primary health care, more countries could achieve universal health coverage to reduce preventable deaths, ill health and malnutrition among children.
As the world celebrates the remarkable achievements of young Olympic athletes, the international community also has an opportunity to change the future of millions of children around the world.
From the 2024 Games to Gavi’s replenishment and the , which has followed the Olympics since 2012, world leaders have an opportunity to invest in research and partnerships to integrate nutrition and immunisation as fundamental components of healthy development. This is the winning formula for more children to succeed – on the track, court and field, and in life.
Afshan KhanUN Under-Secretary-General and Coordinator of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
Sania NishtarCEO of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
IPS UN Office
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
