Hunger rates in Eritrea 'are Extremely Alarming'

12/10/2010

Hunger rates in Eritrea have been ranked as "extremely alarming" in a new report.

Compiled by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, the 2010 Global Hunger Index names Eritrea as one of the few countries with very high levels of hunger.

However, nations such as Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Vietnam have made significant improvements since 1990.

The index was created based on three factors: the proportion of people in a country who are undernourished, the proportion of under-fives who are underweight and the child mortality rate.

Under-nutrition among children represents nearly half of the global hunger score. One billion people worldwide could be classified as being undernourished last year compared to 925 million in 2010.

Marie Ruel of the IFPRI and co-author of the report said that this shows countries need to focus on reducing child malnutrition if they are to improve their scores.

"Considerable research shows that the window of opportunity for improving nutrition spans from conception to age two," she explained.

"After age two, the negative effects of under-nutrition are largely irreversible."

The first of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, with a specific aim of halving hunger rates during this period.