By Inusa Ndahi, Maiduguri
The Executive Director, Borno State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BOSPHCDA), Dr. Sule Meleh has said that poor nutrition can complicate the condition of people living with diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS among others.
This is because, lack of good nutrition leads to weak immune system that make it difficult for the organs and processes of the body to resist infections and toxins.
According to him, availability and sustenance of vitamins and minerals, the body requires in food intake constitutes a balanced diet and boost immune system.
Meleh disclosed this yesterday to mark the ‘World Food Day (WFD)’ 2019 at the Pinnacle Hotel, Maiduguri, the state capital.
The Public Health Expert said this year’s theme: “Healthy Diets for a Zero Hunger World,” is apt and timely, as BOSPHCDA with full support from Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum and other Development Partners like Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) , World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF among others are leaving no stone unturned to overcome challenges of malnutrition which is prevalent in Northern Nigeria.
Dr. Meleh said, poverty, inadequate food production and intake, ignorance and uneven distribution of food, poor food preservation techniques, improper preparation of food, food restrictions and taboos, as well as poor sanitation are some of the underlying causes of malnutrition in the society.
He however stressed that the decade long Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast; had a devastating effect on food security, as its quantity, quality and availability continue to decline.
He added that, this has a devastating effect on the health population in the region.
Continuing he said: “Getting a healthy and nutritious diet becomes a challenge,” he lamented.
Meleh, who describes a healthy diet, as presence of balanced nutrients in food taken, said: “It maintains our well-being and protects us from various diseases.”
He said communicable diseases get hold, when there is inadequate nutrition to boost people’s immune system.
The Executive Director further said, Good nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life; taken during conception to the first years of life, is most vital for physical, mental development and well-being of individual. Stressing that, it is the period of active brain development that requires appropriate nutrition to develop fully for the cognitive functions of the brain.