At least two children have died out of malnutrition with 65 cases recorded in Bawku this year.
This incident is reported to be attributed to the ongoing conflict in the area which has made life unbearable to many. Due to the situation, there is a growing nutritional deficiency in the area leaving children malnourished with other reported cases of anaemia in pregnancies.
In an interview with Channel One News, the Bawku Municipal Health Nutrition Officer, Bathomio Asigri indicated the incident surged higher in 2023 where 297 cases were recorded.
“Malnutrition is a result of lack of energy and nutritional deficiency. This means the children are not getting the nutrients they require from food. Within Bawku Municipality, what we think could be the cause of the high cases that we are recording, we could partly shift it to the conflict.
“I am saying so because the Bawku Municipality is regarded as a business hub in the country. Unfortunately, within the past three years since the conflict erupted, business has stopped, and a lot of trading activities are not going as they used to. Families are not in good standing when it comes to their nutrition and food security as they used to be.
“It has a way of affecting the feeding within the household. We have done a couple of surveys to see the number of meals taken before and after the conflicts in some areas. The caregivers of these children admit to the fact that the number of times these children are fed has reduced. That could in a way have a bearing on the cases we are recording,” he stated.
Bawku remains under a 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. curfew enforced by security agencies. The conflict, which resurfaced in late October 2024, has led to frequent shootings, particularly during curfew hours.
The situation remains tense, with both residents and security forces struggling to contain the violence in the region. The total death toll in the area to 35 since the conflict resurfaced in October this year.
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