New World Health Organization survey data show that malnutrition in Nigeria is responsible for 5.7% of the hunger problems in the world and widespread problems, especially among the young. Forty percent of children under age five are stunted and a quarter are underweight, reports allAfrica.com.

In the view of UNICEF's Nutrition Specialist, Dr. Isiaka Stevens Alo, malnutrition's most devastating impact is in the womb - when the foetus can fail to develop properly and during the first years of a child's life, when it can hamper physical and mental development.

Alo, who was spoke at a 2- day media workshop organised by UNICEF in Owerri, Imo State, to examine Nigeria's preparedness in emergencies stressed the need to tackle problems of food insecurity strong as evidence have shown that adequate nutrition in-utero and during the first two years of life is essential for formation of human capital and undernourished children are more likely to achieve less academically and to have a lower economic status in adulthood.

Lamenting that malnutrition has become a silent emergency in the country; he without addressing malnutrition, countries may not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), especially those related to health, hunger, and poverty.

IODINE DEFICIENCY

Iodine is a mineral essential for human development and growth.

Our bodies need iodine to produce the hormones that regulate the thyroid gland.

Iodine deficiency primarily affects the developing brain. Populations with chronic iodine deficiency showed a reduction in their intelligent quotient (IQ) of 12.5 to 13.5 points.

The most commonly known sign of iodine deficiency is goiter, the swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck. It can also lead to cretinism, the most serious form of mental retardation and associated physical disabilities.