The National Ministry of Health and UNICEF have started screening campaign to address malnutrition amongst children in South Sudan.

They collaborate with Central Equatoria State Ministry of Health and the World Food Program to carry out the exercise.

UNICEF says malnutrition is threatening the lives of thousands of children in the country.

Nutrition Officer in the State Ministry Health, Jenty Nelson, told Eye Radio’s Dawn program that the campaign is to assess the condition of malnourished children.

She says members of the social mobilizer network in Juba County will go from house to house to screen children.

“Studies have been conducted and it was found out that more than 5,000 could possibly be infected and die of malnutrition disease. So that is why we said must intervene quickly before these diseases infect our children and die. So we have come up with this idea, and have started training social mobilizers to go out and screen children.” She said.

UNICF Nutrition Specialist, Nyama Nyasane, says they have trained more than twenty social mobilizers who will be working with the State Ministry of Health to treat malnourished children.

“We recently trained 26 staff who work in most of these facilities to equip them with knowledge and skills in handling the children who will be referred to these centers. So what happens is that the screening is that the children who are found malnourished will be treated, they will receive sufficient treatment.” said the Specialist.