MWANZO BORA WAANZISHA PROGRAM YA LISHE MKOANI IRINGA

Na Friday Simbaya, Iringa

IMEELEZWA kuwa uelewa mdogo wa matumizi sahihi ya chakula pamoja na kutokula chakula mchanganyiko na kutumia nafaka kutengenezea pombe za kienyeji, ndio sababu za kuwepo kwa tatizo la utapiamlo katika Mkoa wa Iringa.

Kauli hiyo imetolewa na Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Iringa, Amina Masenza wakati wa kufungua mkutano wa kamati za lishe za halmashauri na mkoa kuhusu masuala ya lishe ya mama na mtoto jana.

Mkutano huo wa uhamasishaji masuala ya lishe kwa watendaji ngazi ya mkoa na halmashauri uliaandaliwa na Mradi wa Lishe wa Mwanzo Bora (Mwanzo Bora Nutrition Program) kwa ufadhili wa serikali ya Marekani kupitia Shirika lake la maendeleo ya kimataifa (USAID).

Mkuu wa mkoa huyo alisema kuwa matatizo mbalimbali ya utapiamlo yanaendelea kudumaza, kulemaza na hata kuua watoto na wanawake hasa wajawazito na wanaoyonyesha.

Pia jamii kwa ujumla imekuwa ikiathirika kwa njia moja au nyingine kwa kuwepo kwa utapiamlo. 

Alisema kuwa tataizo la lishe duni linaendelea kuathiri uchumi na kuchangia kuwepo kwa umaskini.

“Lishe duni pia huathiri ukuaji wa maendeleo ya mtoto kimwili na kiakili, hivyo kufifisha mchango wake katika maendeleo ya jamii na taifa,” alisema.

Aliongeza kuwa sababu nyingine mojawapo inayopelekea kuwepo kwa tatizo la utapiamlo katika Mkoa wa Iringa ni pamoja na hali ya umaskini katika ngazi ya kaya inapelekea pia kushindwa kumudu kupata mlo kamili.

Aidhi, alisema kuwa serikali kwa kushirikiana na wadau imekuwa ikichukuwa hatua mbalimbali za kukabiliana na tatizo la lishe duni nchini.

Hatua hizo zinajumuisha utoaji wa elimu na uhamasishaji wa njia sahihi za ulishaji wa watoto, utoaji wa matone ya vitamin A na dawa za kutibu minyoo, uwekaji wa madini joto kwenye chumvi na utoaji wa tiba kwa watoto wenye utampiamlo.

Aidha, alisema kuwa wanawake wajawazito wanapatiwa vidongo vya kuongeza damu- yaani vidongo vya madini ya chuma na vitamini ya foliki aside.

Pia wajawazito hupatiwa dawa za kutibu malaria na minyoo, sambamba na elimu na hamasa kuhusu matumizi ya vyandarua vya kuzuia mbiu.

Nayo, mtaalamu wa lishe ya watoto kutoka taasisi ya chakula na lishe Tanzania (TFNC), Neema Joshua alisema kuwa takwimu za mwaka 2010 zinaoyesha kuwa asilimia 42 ya watoto wenye umri chini ya miaka mitano nchini ni wadumavu, yaani wameshindwa kurefuka ili kufikia urefu unaotakiwa kulingana na umri wao.

Aidha, hali ya lishe ya wanawake nayo siyo nzuri ambapo asilimia 40 ya wanawake walio katika umri wa kuzaa (15-49) nchini wana upungufu wa wekundu wa damu.

Vile vile, watoto wa umri wa chini ya miaka mitano asilimia 59 wana upungufu wa damu na asilimia 53 ya wanawake wajawazito wana upungufu wa wekundu wa damu.

Alisema kuwa takwimu za Mkoa wa Iringa zinaonyesha kuwa hali ya lishe katika mkoa hairidhishi pamoja na kuwa Iringa ni kati ya mikoa yenye kuzalisha chakula kini nchini.

Mtaalamu wa lishe ya watoto kutoka taasisi ya chakula na lishe Tanzania (TFNC) huyo alizitaja baadhi ya athari zinazotokana na lishe duni kuwa ni udumavu (stunting) ambapo Mkoa wa Iringa unashika nafasi ya tatu kitaifa kwa kuwa asilimia 52, ambayo ni sawa na watoto 52 kati ya watoto 100 ni wadumavu.

Mkoa wa Dodoma unaongoza kwa kuwa na asilimia 56 ukifuatiwa na Mkoa wa Lindi kwa asilimia 54.

Ili Tanzania iweze kukabiliana na tatizo la utapiamlo inatakiwa kuwe na mipango thabiti.

Kwa kulitambua umuhimu huo, serikali ina mkakati wa taifa wa lishe wa miaka mitano uliozinduliwa na waziri mkuu Mizengo Pinda tarehe 20 Septemba, 2011 na utamalizika hadi juni 2016.

Katika ngazi ya halmashauri,kwa kutambua kuwa lishe ni suala mtambuka, serikali imeweka shughuli za mpango na kazi za lishe kwenye uratibu wa kamati za lishe za halmashauri (council nutrition steering committee).

STUNTING IN IRINGA REGION IS A PROBLEM

By Friday Simbaya, Iringa

IRINGA Regional Commissioner (RC), Amina Masenza said little understanding of the appropriate use of food as well as eating mixed food and using of cereals brewing beer, is the reason for the existence of the problem of malnutrition in region.

RC issued the statement while opening a meeting of the regional and council nutrition committees on issues of maternal and child nutrition yesterday.

The meeting for nutrition issues for administrators at regional level was organized by The Mwanzo Bora Nutrition Program (MBNP) is funded by USAID through the Feed the Future initiative. MBNP works in three regions in Tanzania and three districts in Zanzibar, helping communities reduce childhood stunting and maternal anemia.

She said that the various problems of malnutrition include stunting, disability and even kill children and women especially pregnant and lactating women.

She said that the community in general has been liable in one way or another in the presence of malnutrition.

She said that problem of poor nutrition continues to affect the economy and contribute to poverty.

"Poor nutrition also affects the growth of a child's development physically and mentally, so dim his/her contribution to the development of society and the nation," she said.

She explained that another factor leading to the existence of any problem of malnutrition in Iringa Region includes the state of poverty at the household level leads also struggling to get a full meal.

However, she said that the government in collaboration with partners has been taking various measures to tackle the problem of malnutrition in the country.

Those measures include the provision of education and awareness of the correct way of feeding, provision of vitamin A drops and medicines to treat worms, placement of iodine in salt and treatment for malnourished children.

In addition, she said that pregnant women are given folic acid minerals to boost red blood cells.

She said pregnant women are given drugs to treat malaria and worms, along with education and motivation about the use of mosquito nets to prevent mosquito bites.

On her part, Child Nutrition Specialist from Tanzania Food and Nutritional Centre (TFNC), Neema Joshua said that figures in 2010 shows that 42 percent of children aged under five years in the country are stunting, ie failed to elongate to reach the height required based their age.

In addition, the nutritional status of women and is not good where 40 percent of women of reproductive age (15-49) in the country have shortage of red blood.

Similarly, children aged less than five years 59 percent are anemic and 53 percent of pregnant women have a deficiency of red blood cells.

She said that statistics show that the nutritional situation unsatisfactory while the region is among the regions with a lot of food production in the country.

she mentioned some of the damage caused by poor nutrition that are stunting, where Iringa Region occupies third place nationally with 52 percent, which means 52 children of the 100 children are stunting.

To recognize the urgency, the government has a five year national strategy on nutrition launched by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda on September 20, 2011 and will last until June 2016.

At the council level, to realize that nutrition is a crosscutting issue, the government has set a work program activities and nutrition on nutrition coordination committee of the council (council nutrition steering committee).