undernourishment

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Condition that results from consuming too little food over a period of time. Like malnutrition – the result of a diet that is lacking in certain nutrients (such as protein or vitamins) – undernourishment is common in poor countries. Both lead to a reduction in mental and physical efficiency, a lowering of resistance to disease in general, and often to deficiency diseases such as beriberi or anaemia. In the developing world, lack of adequate food is a common cause of death.

In 1996, an estimated 195 million children under the age of five were undernourished in the world. Undernourishment is not just a problem of the developing world: there were an estimated 12 million children eating inadequately in the USA in 1992. According to UN figures there were 200 million Africans suffering from undernourishment in 1996.

Red recalls the struggle for independence. Blue stands for the Indian Ocean. Yellow expresses hope for a bright future. Green represents agriculture and vegetation. Effective date: 12 March 1968. >>