A 15.5 percent increase in severe malnutrition in the age group has left at least 98,000 at "high risk of dying" unless they receive urgent treatment, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme and the UN children's fund UNICEF said in a statement.
Iran is grappling with the deadliest outbreak in the Middle East, with at least 7,249 fatalities among more than 129,000 confirmed cases. Those figures include an additional 66 deaths announced Thursday by Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.
Sporadic outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and diphtheria, have already been seen in parts of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, the UN Children's Fund said.
Even in the best scenario, the United Nations says 74 million test kits and 30,000 ventilators will be needed by the continent's 1.3 billion people this year. Very few are in hand.
In India, the number of undernourished people declined from 253.9 million in 2004-06 to 194.4 million in 2016-18.
According to the total procurement of goods and services for operational activities of the UN system, India maintains its position as the second largest country to supply the UN in 2016, as has been the case since 2012.
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