According to a report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, fortifying bouillon cubes with iron, folic acid, zinc, and vitamin B12 could prevent up to 16.6 million cases of anaemia and up to 11,000 deaths from neural tube defects in Nigerian children by 2050.
It also disclosed the need for immediate action to address the impact of climate change on global health, particularly in Africa.
The foundation’s eighth annual Goalkeepers report urged world leaders to increase global health spending, especially in areas where it is needed most, to boost children’s health and nutrition.
Furthermore, the report warns that climate change could condemn an additional 40 million children to stunting and 28 million more to waste between 2024 and 2050 if immediate action is not taken.
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The report also explained that the share of foreign aid going to Africa has decreased from 40 per cent in 2010 to 25 per cent in 2023, despite the fact that more than half of all child deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
This trend leaves hundreds of millions of children at risk of dying or suffering from preventable diseases and threatens the progress made in global health across Africa between 2000 and 2020.
In response to these challenges, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is calling for increased investment in global health and nutrition, particularly in areas most affected by climate change.
The foundation believes that immediate action can help prevent the devastating impacts of climate change on global health and promote economic growth.
