Niger Food Crisis Especially Dangerous for Pregnant Women

DAKAR, Senegal—The increasingly poor nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women in Niger threatens to increase the already high rates of maternal and infant death and illness in regions hard-hit by the ongoing food crisis, according to reports from the Niger office of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

To counter the threat, the Fund is seeking $400,000 in emergency reproductive health assistance to prevent pregnancy and delivery complications for hundreds of thousands of pregnant and lactating women affected by the emergency.

Niger already has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world. Its women have a 1 in 7 lifetime risk of dying of pregnancy-related causes. Making sure that pregnant and lactating women receive adequate nutrition with essential vitamins and minerals can reduce maternal death, birth defects, childhood mortality, blindness, anaemia and vulnerability to infections. Experts estimate that eliminating malnutrition in mothers can reduce disabilities in their infants by almost one third.

The United Nations estimates that 3.6 million people, out of a total population of 12 million, have been affected by the current crisis. Of those, 2.7 million are extremely vulnerable and require food assistance. Pregnant and lactating mothers are among the groups considered most at risk, with more than 261,000 women in need of emergency care.

"We know that during a humanitarian emergency, like we are now facing in Niger, pregnant and lactating women and their children are particularly vulnerable," said Marlène François Lays, UNFPA Representative in Niger. "UNFPA is using food distribution sites as a means to reach these women to ensure they have healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries. We are working with the Government, other United Nations agencies and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners to make sure that women have access to safe reproductive health care during this food crisis."

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Nane Annan will end their two-day visit to Niger today. They expressed solidarity with the Government and people of Niger as they deal with the humanitarian aftermath of accelerating desertification, prolonged drought and repeated locust invasions.

A coordinated response by the Government's Food Crisis Management Unit, United Nations agencies and NGOs has been an essential component of dealing with the crisis. Earlier this month, a revised Flash Appeal seeking $80.9 million to address the emergency through the end of the year was issued. UNFPA has asked for $400,000 to pay for emergency reproductive kits for deliveries at health centres in all parts of affected regions of the country.

UNFPA has also set up an emergency coordination unit in the capital, Niamey, and reinforced its country team with a regional adviser from Dakar and a national expert in logistics. An assessment mission by UNFPA and the Ministry of Health staff has been conducted this month to collect data on the crisis. A short questionnaire was developed by UNFPA, the World Health Organization and the Ministry to evaluate the health needs of those most affected.

Only last month, UNFPA and the Government of Niger signed a financial agreement to provide about $100,000 to help pregnant and breastfeeding women in Zinder and Agadez, two of the worst-affected regions in the country. Women visiting health centres will each receive an impregnated mosquito net to prevent malaria, which can cause severe anaemia in pregnant mothers and contribute to low birth-weights among newborn babies. Basic delivery kits, which include plastic sheets, gloves, syringes, medication and pharmaceutical products, to ensure safe deliveries are also being distributed.

Additional funds are being provided by the World Food Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund and Helen Keller International. Under the agreement, 274 tons of cereals, 75 tons of pulses and 19 tons of oil will be supplied as well as folic acid, iron and vitamin A supplements. The Ministry of Health, at both the regional and local levels, and partnering NGOs will distribute the supplements. Vitamin A, folate and iron deficiencies can profoundly affect pregnant mothers and their infants, resulting in low birth weight babies, hemorrhage, sepsis during childbirth and, in severe cases, infant and maternal deaths.

Poor nutrition has led to increased disease outbreaks including diarrhoea and cholera in some hard-hit villages. To respond to the crisis, partners met earlier this month to discuss developing a health treatment and cost recovery system to deal with future emergencies and the resultant health problems that arise. A plan of action will be put in place over the next six months.

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UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

Contact Information:

Niger: Marlène François Lays, tel:+ 227 723-982, lays@unfpa.org;

Senegal: Angela Walker, tel:+221 889-0369, awalker@unfpa.org;

New York: David Del Vecchio, tel:+1 (212) 297- 4975 or +1 (917) 892-7764, delvecchio@unfpa.org; Abubakar Dungus, tel:+1 (212) 297-5031, dungus@unfpa.org