The organization added that every day, women and children suffering from malnutrition are visiting health centers for treatment.

The World Food Program added on its page X that Afghanistan ranks fourth in the world in terms of acute child malnutrition; currently, about 5 million mothers and children are malnourished and this crisis is spreading.

The organization appreciated the donations of donors and said that this assistance is essential for a healthy future for mothers and children.

The World Food Program added that the organization, in cooperation with its partners, has provided nutrients to thousands of people suffering from malnutrition in Afghanistan.

It is worth noting that the organization previously warned that on the eve of winter, more than 17 million Afghans face severe food insecurity; a crisis that is accompanied by acute malnutrition.

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About five children were affected with one child having their treatment put back by five days.

They faced a delay because more than half of specialist nurses in the field are off work in the trust, with seven members of staff “unavailable for work due to planned and unplanned absences”.

However, in a statement, the Belfast Health Trust said clinical nurse specialists are now providing additional support.

The trust also said they are “working to improve the situation and staffing and service delivery is being closely monitored to ensure adequate and safe staffing levels”.

Sources earlier told BBC News NI that issues around staffing levels across the health trust have been raised, and specifically about the number of specialist nurses in the paediatric haematology and oncology departments.

A member of staff said staffing problems were not being addressed by senior management.

The trust said while nursing posts were fully recruited, unfortunately “the number of chemotherapy-trained nursing staff on the ward has temporarily decreased due to planned and unplanned absences”.

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Tamara had microcephaly – an abnormally small head – one of many conditions resulting from her mother being infected with the Zika virus while pregnant.

Now nine-years-old, Tamara eats through a stomach tube. Her hands are increasingly stiff and contracted and she has a hard time holding her head still.

“I was told early on that she wouldn’t walk, she wouldn’t speak nor smile,” says Rute.

“And yet I would ask every doctor I visited: ‘My kid is going to walk, right?'”

Rute’s daughter is one of the nearly 2,000 babies born to women who contracted the mosquito-borne virus in Brazil between 2015 and 2016.

Back then, the country was preparing to host the Olympics and the world watched with concern as the virus spread across Brazil as well as to dozens of other countries.

• Zika Love Stories: I went to Brazil to find out how families are coping

A public health emergency was declared by the World Health Organization and Brazilian authorities, whose warning remained in place until May 2017.

It’s still not clear why the outbreak spontaneously ceased and it hasn’t resurged over the past decade.

Zika disappeared from the public eye, and families dealing with its long-lasting consequences have been largely forgotten.

According to government figures, 261 children diagnosed with congenital Zika syndrome – a pattern of birth defects caused by infections during pregnancy – have died. Hundreds more have seen their health conditions deteriorate.

Tamara is one of them. She lives in Maceió, a coastal city in north-eastern Brazil, where 75% of the cases of congenital Zika virus syndrome in the country were registered.

The post Their children can’t eat, speak or walk – so forgotten Zika mothers raise them together appeared first on The Afghanistan Journal.

Tries from Jone Naikabula and debutant Amato Fakatava in the first half and one from Semisi Masiwera in the second kept Japan in front for most of the game, but Tonga scored two tries of its own and was pressing for another until the end.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Amato Fakatava scores a try for Japan in the first half.

Winger Naikabula opened Japan’s account off an attacking scrum but just three minutes later a smart pickup by Tongan blindside Vaea Fifita around a weakly defended ruck set up scrumhalf Sonatane Takulua to run one in for the visiting side.

The back and forth continued throughout, punctuated by a series of handling errors on both sides which left little room to build phases and pressure.

With less than two minutes until the final whistle, Japan led by just five when an interception by Tonga outside center Afusipa Taumoepeau almost resulted in a try that would have leveled up the scores.

A last ditch try-saving tackle by replacement fullback Kotaro Matsushima, however, saved Japan and the host side held on to secure the victory.

Japan lacked the flair that characterized its 2019 World Cup performances, and it appeared to feel the absence of loose forward Michael Leitch, who was banned for a red card offence during last week’s loss to Samoa.

The win moved Japan to second place in the Pacific Nations Cup standings behind Fiji, which it meets in the final round next week.

End

Afghanistan Journal

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