QUETTA: Nearly half of the children aged five are stunted and nearly two out of every 10 suffer from wasting, says an official announcement on Thursday, quoting results of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2018.

The survey showed that over 30 per cent of children under five years of age are underweight and nearly 20pc are overweight. The NNS launched the report at a ceremony on Thursday. The survey assessed the nutrition status of 18,145 households across Balochistan. Children under five, adolescent girls and women of child-bearing age were the focus for collecting data on nutrition indicators, as well as data on access to water and its quality, hygiene and sanitation, food security and disability among children.

The NNS revealed that over 70pc of adolescent girls and boys in the province suffer from anaemia, bearing triple the burden of malnutrition. The survey showed that over 10pc of children between the ages of 2 to 5 years suffer from some form of functional disability across Pakistan.

Balochistan Health Minister Mir Naseeb Ullah Marri said, `Nutrition is our top priority.

The government is taking strong measures to improve the overall situation of health services in the province. We understand the effects that food and nutrition have on the health of mothers and children. That is why we have declared a nutrition emergency in Balochistan.