Bangladesh

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child and maternal malnutrition in the world, say health experts. According to the State of the World's Children (SOWC) Report 2008, issued by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), eight million or 48 percent of all children under-five are underweight. Millions of children and women suffer from one or more forms of malnutrition, including low birth weight, stunting, underweight, Vitamin A deficiency, iodine deficiency disorders and anemia. Malnutrition contributes to about half of all child deaths, often by weakening immunity. Survivors are left vulnerable to illness, stunted or intellectually impaired. (IRIN)