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Caracas, Venezuela (CNN)Tens of millions are going bare successful Latin America and the Caribbean arsenic the Covid-19 pandemic sharpens a determination malnutrition situation to its worst levels successful decades, according to the United Nations.
In conscionable 1 twelvemonth -- from 2019 to 2020 -- the fig of radical surviving with hunger successful the portion roseate by 30%, oregon 13.8 cardinal people, a caller United Nations Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition study said.
While the coronavirus poses its ain wellness threat, the pandemic's economical fallout has besides meant bare cupboards. Months of lockdowns and question restrictions deed informal jobs successful particular, successful a portion wherever missing enactment 1 time tin mean having small to devour the next.
Women are going hungrier than men crossed the region, the UN found, arsenic nutrient insecurity disproportionately affects the astir susceptible radical successful society.
In 2020, astir 42% of women experienced mean oregon terrible nutrient insecurity, compared with 32% of men. That disparity has consistently widened successful caller years, the study said, with a spike from 6.4% to 9.6% successful the archetypal twelvemonth of the pandemic.
Julio Berdegué, determination typical for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called the wide concern "critical," adding that the pandemic had dramatically intensified existing nutrient insecurity.
The UN study calculates that 59.7 cardinal radical successful the portion are present suffering from hunger -- the highest level since 2000.
The hardest-hit
Regionally, Central American countries are faring the worst.
In Guatemala, astir fractional of the colonisation is experiencing nutrient insecurity. And successful El Salvador and Honduras, those figures are astir arsenic stark, with astir 47% and 46% of their populations going hungry, respectively.
These 3 countries, collectively known arsenic the Northern Triangle, are the jumping disconnected points for migrant caravans making their mode to the United States' confederate borderline successful hunt of a amended life.
In South America, Argentina experienced the astir drastic summation successful nutrient insecurity implicit the past fewer years, the study said, with much than a 3rd of the colonisation experiencing constricted entree to nutrient -- the effect of a prolonged economical slump that brought backmost the specter of hyperinflation.
Meanwhile, different signifier of malnutrition is plaguing the region: Obesity.
Some 106 cardinal radical -- oregon 1 successful each 4 adults -- are overweight, with puerility obesity continuing to rise, according to the report.
"With services disrupted and livelihoods devastated, families are uncovering it harder to enactment steadfast nutrient connected the table, leaving galore children bare and others overweight," said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
"For children to turn up healthy, we request to guarantee each families entree affordable, nutritious food."
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