News Center- The number of children under five in Government of Yemen-controlled areas who are suffering from acute malnutrition rose by 34 per cent compared to last year, said the reported published on Sunday by UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The sharp increase is being driven by diseases, including cholera and malaria, high food insecurity, and limited access to safe drinking water and other essential services, according to the analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Technical Working Group.

Overall, some 600,000 boys and girls are affected, including 120,000 who are severely malnourished. Additionally, around 223,000 pregnant and lactating women in these areas were found to be acutely malnourished, according to the report.

The report anticipates that all 117 districts in Government-controlled areas surveyed, all located in the south, will experience “serious” levels of malnutrition or worse during the lean season from July to October.

“UNICEF, together with sister UN agencies the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), are calling for urgent support and action to address the root causes of acute malnutrition in Yemen by strengthening existing social protection, health, food and water, sanitation, and hygiene systems.”

Ending the nearly decade-long conflict and restoring peace are critical to both address challenges and build the resilience of Yemen's people, who have been devastated by the lack of basic services, repeated displacements, and shattered economic and social systems, UN agencies stressed in the report.