A quarter of the world's children seriously underweight; UNICEF report says world failing in fight against childhood malnutrition.

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COPYRIGHT 2006 M2 Communications Ltd.

M2 PRESSWIRE-28 April 2006-UNICEF: A quarter of the world's children seriously underweight; UNICEF report says world failing in fight against childhood malnutrition(C)1994-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:02052006

More than a quarter of all children under the age of five in developing countries are underweight, many to a life-threatening degree, says a UNICEF report published today. Poor nutrition remains a global epidemic contributing to more than half of all child deaths, about 5.6 million per year.

'Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition' says the proportion of children under five who are underweight has fallen only slightly since 1990 - proof, according to UNICEF, that the world is failing children.

"The lack of progress to combat malnutrition is damaging children and nations," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, speaking on her first anniversary as head of the global children's agency. "Few things have more impact than nutrition on a child's ability to survive, learn effectively and escape a life of poverty."

The report charts national and regional progress towards...

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