UNICEF East Asia and Pacific’s Post

When you meet a child suffering from wasting, you never forget it. Wasting is the most life-threatening form of malnutrition—it weakens children so severely that even a common cold can turn fatal. Globally, one million children die from it each year. In East Asia and the Pacific alone, 4 million children are affected, with 1 million facing severe wasting.    The numbers tell part of the story. Children with severe wasting are 11 times more likely to die than their well-nourished peers. But behind those statistics are families facing impossible choices, communities losing their future, and a crisis that remains largely invisible to the world.    The good news? Wasting is preventable and curable. With better nutrition for mothers, exclusive breastfeeding, nutritious first foods, and skilled health care, we can stop it before it starts. UNICEF and partners are helping countries integrate prevention and treatment into primary health care — so every child has the chance to grow, play, and thrive.  Rene Gerard Galera, Jr Alison Feeley PhD RNutr Eliane Luthi Roland Kupka Moumiita G Dastidar Mueni Mutunga Sanele Nkomani Sibylle Newman