Paris: Undernutrition is to blame for 3.5 million deaths among children aged under five each year, but most of the fatalities occur in 20 countries, where targeted aid programmes could swiftly address the problem, researchers say.

Most of the deaths are inflicted indirectly by stunting and poor resistance to disease, and two of the biggest culprits are lack of vitamin A and zinc during the mother's pregnancy and the child's first two years of life, they say. Mortality from undernutrition accounts for more than a third of child deaths worlwide, they add.

The five studies are published online yesterday by the British health journal The Lancet. The one-off series also puts the spotlight on 20 countries where 80 per cent of the world s undernourished children live.

Most of these countries are in tropical Africa and South Asia, as well Myanmar, North Korea and Indonesia. By focussing efforts on these countries, governments could meet three UN Millennium Goals on children health and maternal mortality, the authors say.

One of the papers looks at data from major studies carried out in Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines and South Africa. It finds a direct link between maternal and early childhood undernutrition and adult health. Undernutrition is the term for deficiencies in key proteins, vitamins and minerals, usually caused by a lack of food.

Source : PTI