Unicef - Haiti Observer Blog

The children of Haiti are in need of nutrition support. Recently, a senior UNICEF official in Haiti has said that nearly one in two children under the age of five, suffer from malnutrition in the Francophone Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, for reasons including poverty, unfavorable feeding practices and disease. If a child is not nourished with proper nutrients during the first 1,000 days of his life, his brain and body never properly develops. In a far reaching consequence, it would affect his intelligence, school performance, and income and in a greater consequence, the chances of his contribution toward the overall development of his country will be almost negligible. Under-nutrition puts children at greater risks of infection and delayed recovery. This translates into the unnecessary loss of about 3 million young lives a year all over the world.

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Ministry of Public Health and Population's Campaign to Eliminate Tetanus

Ministry of Public Health and Population (MPHP), with the support of UNICEF, has a goal of stamping out maternal and neonatal tetanus in Haiti within two years. Tetanus is a deadly disease that leads to death for many newborns. This year's campaign is aimed at 65 communes with a high-risk potential. Among the at-risk communes is Milford in the South-East Department. A statistic reveals almost 50% of tetanus cases happen in Haiti across the Caribbean region.

The problem with getting communes in the South-East Department vaccinated is they are remote. One of the communes, Milford, is difficult to access because the road leading to Milford from Jacmel hugs the side of a mountain, a three-hour drive and six-hour walk. Those on foot labor under brutal climatic conditions, a broiling sun and continuous high winds. Vaccinators endure these elements because women will not undertake the journey to come and get vaccinated.

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