Thousands of children in Zimbabwe risk starvation by Christmas, with 200 having already died in one area in the last 18 months because of food shortages caused by a severe drought, the Save the Children charity has said.
The charity's Tanya Steele said some mothers were going without food for five days, and health workers were giving their children foraged berries "before inspecting babies and toddlers for signs of malnutrition".
In a statement, she added:
This is an emergency. Some children are already dying of complications from malnutrition. Others are very ill.
There are mothers who are so stressed about not being able to feed their families that they’re suffering from hypertension.”
UK-based Ms Steele was commenting after visiting Binga district, a four-hour drive from the "well-stocked" tourist hotels and restaurants of Victoria Falls.
Ministry of health statistics showed that 946 children under the age of five years in Binga were suffering from "severe acute malnutrition", and the number is expected to rise sharply in the coming months.
The death rate among infants admitted to hospital in emergency cases had also risen significantly, Save the Children said.
The number of under-fives who had so far died in Binga had reached 200 in the last 18 months, about three times the usual rate, it added.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries hardest hit by the drought in southern Africa, with government officials estimate that more than four million people - around a third of the population - could be hungry by the end of the year.
The charity's Tanya Steele said some mothers were going without food for five days, and health workers were giving their children foraged berries "before inspecting babies and toddlers for signs of malnutrition".
In a statement, she added:
This is an emergency. Some children are already dying of complications from malnutrition. Others are very ill.
There are mothers who are so stressed about not being able to feed their families that they’re suffering from hypertension.”
UK-based Ms Steele was commenting after visiting Binga district, a four-hour drive from the "well-stocked" tourist hotels and restaurants of Victoria Falls.
Ministry of health statistics showed that 946 children under the age of five years in Binga were suffering from "severe acute malnutrition", and the number is expected to rise sharply in the coming months.
The death rate among infants admitted to hospital in emergency cases had also risen significantly, Save the Children said.
The number of under-fives who had so far died in Binga had reached 200 in the last 18 months, about three times the usual rate, it added.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries hardest hit by the drought in southern Africa, with government officials estimate that more than four million people - around a third of the population - could be hungry by the end of the year.
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