COVID-19 pandemic: 265 million children missing school meals, says UNICEF report

More than 265 million children across the world are missing out on school meals due to COVID-19 pandemic, revealed a report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday.

While the data published on World Children’s Day covers 135 countries included India, there is a 40 per cent decline in the coverage of nutrition services for women and children across 135 countries.

“As of October 2020, 265 million children were still missing out on school meals globally. More than 250 million children under five could miss the life-protecting benefits of vitamin A supplementation programmes,” pointed out the World Children’s Day 2020 Data and Advocacy Brief.

It further pointed out that 11.89 % of COVID-19 cases in India are under 20 years.

This apart, the report also predicts that an additional six to seven million children will suffer from wasting or acute malnutrition in 2020.