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NUTRITION IN A NUTSHELL?

Interview with Huub Verhagen

of Medecins sans Frontieres

The Norwegian documen- mes. MSF realised that food But if you look at the actual researchers, mahiutrition is a
tary film "The Famine crises not only occur in acute figiu'es, the incidence of malnu- topic that merits intemational
Scam", about the so-called crisis situations like conflict or trition is extremely igh even in attention. Interest in malnutri-
famine in Niger in 2005, natural disaster, but that they many stable contexts. tion has been neglected. That is
was awarded the are also present in stable the reason why MSF is hying
Scandinavian prize for the contexts. Q: The Nonvegian docu- to attract intemational attention
best documentary film. mentary film shows that to this problem.
This documentary basical- This insight prompted MSF to children were not dying
ly stated that humanitarian raise media atkention for this from malnutrition but You may wonder why this topic
actors like M6decins sans neglected crisis. And since the rather from the complica- has been neglected. There are
Fronti6res (MSF) and the problem goes well beyond the tions of malaria. What you plenty of very simple reasons.
media exaggerated the Niger crisis, there is ever since are saying is that malaria For instance, students iii medi-
situation and that there a clear williiigness within MSF has nothing to do with it. cal schools are taught very little
was no "famine" in Niger. to highlight the global problem People get malaria becau- about malnutrition; they do
The image of the of malnutrition as a major se of malnutrition? leai'n about other pathologies,
Nonvegian Section of MSF priblic healtl'i issue. such as diarrhoea and malaria.
suffered, because as Jan There are d'fferent pathologies:
Egeland said, the UN aThis motivation has nothing to malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory But there are also completely
Humanitarian Co-ordinator do with raising more funds, but tract infections, etc. These differentreasons. Countries that
at that time, the figures he simply with raisiiig awareness young cbililren are far more are affected by malnutrition are
had received from MSF for a forgotten crisis that causes prone to disease because their huxniliated because it indicates
about the "famine" were many uniiecessaiy deaths, but i+nmune system is weakened. that the govei'i'unent is incapa-
even higher than the ones that has been considered to be Their iminune system is wea- ble of feeding its own popula-
the UN had given out. We notmal becarise we got used to kened because tliey do not have tion. As long as they do not
therefore met with Huub a under-five-mortality rate of a proper diet. Thus, yori can have a solution to this problem,
Verhagen of MSF here in 200 cildren orit of every l'OOO conelate malmit+'tion with the it is also politically difficult to
Geneva in order to better newbom. probability of death. Then, the make them reco@iize the size
understand MSF's stance actual disease that makes the of the problem. aphis is on a
regarding malnutrition. In global tenns, malnutrition is child die is perhaps malaria, but completely different scale: a
the underlying cause in 50% of the underlying cause is actually veiy political problem.
Q: What is your function? deaths of childrenunder the age malnutrition in rougmy lialf of
of 5 years. That figiire is a huge the cases of child mortality. Q: TaFking about mal-
I am attaclied to the general factor in accounting for the nutrition as such, and
d'qectorate of MSF and I cover child deaths under the age of 5, Q: l'm not a medical taking the example of
different topics. One is to be the and especially among vei'y doctor but I don't see the people eating too much

liaison person with Swiss civil yoring cildren aged about 2 or link between a mosquito fast food in Europe and
society and official iiistitutions 3 years. At that age, they are bite, the development of the United States, could
on the topic of malnuti'ition. exh'emely vulnerable and malaria and dying of mal- one say that malnutrition
The Swiss section of MSF is depend strongly ripon a proper nutrition. Ifl went to Africa exists everywhere?
supporting an international diet to achieve healthy develop- next week and contracted
campaign drawing more atten- ment. Without that proper diet, malaria one way or ano- Malnutrition is a clearly
tion to the global problem of it is not only death that they are ther deftned pathology, but you
malnutiition. We are ti'ying to facing brit tlieir whole self- could say indeed tliat bad
mobilize the intemational com- defence system breaks down ... you would not die from it. nutrition is typically affecting
tnunity to address this problem. with long-tei'in consequences But you mght die if you were the most vulnerable, i.e. the
for their health-even if they malnourished and your self- poor in any society. What is
Q: What are your com- sui'vive. It is a huge public defence mecliaiiistri had been happening in Western societ5r is
ments on the thesis that health problem. weakened. a m'rror image of what is hap-
MSF has been exaggera- Our belief is that malnutrition pening in developing countries.
ting the "famine" of 2005 in has not received the attention This is what researchers have What you see is the most
Niger? People say that that it deserves at the intematio- been studying. Your intuition fragile section of the
MSF did so in order to nal level. This goes beyond may suggest that there is no cornmunit5r tending to em fast
raise more funds. simple humanitarian action, correlation between these two food. They cannot afford
because malnuti'ition has tradi- events. But that correlation is healthy food and tlierefore
The food ci'isis in Niger of 2005 tionally been associated with well established by scientific develop problems with obesity.
was characterised by a major acute conflicts aiid other emer- literature. Roughly, lialf of the

increase in the munber of gencies, leading to the displace- child mortality rate in develo- Q: I do accept to a certain
patients that we received in our ment of populations, etc. ping cointries is a direct result degree what you say, but
ongoing nutritional program- of malnutiition. Accordiiig to we also have lots of
3 2009 Diva 19

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