Children of Madaya suffer of rare disease due to malnutrition

^{(zamanalwsl.net)}
^{Large number of Kwashiorkor cases, a form of severe malnutrition, have been diagnosed in the town of Madaya in rural Damascus after long and severe siege forced by the Syrian regime and other sectarian militias.}

^{Dr. mohammed Darwish confirmed that almost 2000 cases of Kwashiorkor were diagnosed in field hospital, 600 of them were children and reached to advanced stage.}

^{The main cause of the disease according to the Doctor is lack of protein in diet, which is resulted from siege and preventing food from entering the town.}

^{Symptoms of the disease include changes in skin and hair color, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of muscle mass, failure to grow or gain weight, swelling of ankles, feet, and belly, damaged immune system, which can lead to more frequent and severe infections, irritability, flaky rash, and can reach to shock, the doctor detailed.}

^{Kwashiorkor is easily treated with a change in diet by increasing the amount of protein beside eating balanced food of carbohydrate and fat.}
^{Dr. Darwish expressed his sorrow for the level of malnutrition people of Madaya had reached to in this time of 21st century, as that disease is found in severe famines in Africa and other countries of political disturbance and severe drought.}
^{The doctor confirmed that they contacted the UN and reported the first diagnosed case, but the response was too slow.}

^{He added that they reported the increase number of Kwashiorkor and they needed albumin to treat the cases quickly, and were told that a medical convoy in the way, but it was postponed two weeks because of security reasons.}

^{Madaya has been under blockade for more than 8 months by the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, where about 40,000 residents were trapped.}

^{Blockades have been a common feature of the five-year-old civil war that has killed an estimated 260,000 people, with government forces besieging rebel-held areas and rebel groups blockading loyalist areas.}
^{Translation by Yusra Ahmed}

Friday, 1st April - 2016

Category : News