KARACHI, Nov 19: The Universal Children's Day will be marked across the country on Nov 20 (today) in the backdrop of the fact that 50 to 54 per cent of local children are exposed to nutritional deficiencies.

Dr Aisha Mehnaz of the Civil Hospital told APP that 10 per cent of infants and young children were severely malnourished and thus vulnerable to a wide range of diseases and infections, which often lead to high incidence of mortality and morbidity.

These children could be protected against this neglect, she stressed, mentioning that the condition could be intentional, as well as unintentional, as in many instances mothers themselves were quite malnourished.

Some eight to 12 neonates are admitted at the CHK's Paediatric Unit-I on daily basis, with sepsis as well as septicemia, mainly due to precarious health status of these new born babies, aged between 24 and 48 days.

The paediatrician regretted that since significant majority of these babies was delivered by traditional birth attendants, and seriousness of their condition was not gauged in time, so they are generally referred to hospitals quite late.

Prof Afroze Ramzan Sher Ali, the Director, National Institute of Child Health, reiterating the need for due consideration towards the healthcare needs of local infants, cited pneumonia, diarrhoea and infectious diseases as major causes of their mortality and morbidity. She said that these conditions were largely preventable and public awareness was needed in this regard.

PDS: To mark the Universal Children's Day, the Peace and Development Society will organize a festival at the YMCA Courtyard, Aiwan-e-Saddar Road, on Nov 20 at 9am, PPI adds.