Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a general term for the medical condition in a person or animal caused by an unbalanced diet (either too little or too much food) or a diet missing one or more important nutrients.
Clinically, malnutrition is characterized by inadequate or excess intake of proteins, energy and micronutrients such as vitamins, and the frequent infections and disorders result.

Malnutrition in all its forms increases the risk of disease and early death. Severe forms of malnutrition include marasmus, cretinism and irreversible brain damage due to iodine deficiency, blindness and increased risk of infection and death from vitamin A deficiency.

Chronic food deficits affect about 792 million people in the world, including 20% of the population in developing countries. Worldwide, malnutrition affects one in three people and each of its major forms influence most diseases globally. Malnutrition affects all age groups, but it is especially common among the poor and those with inadequate access to health education and clean water and good sanitation. More than 70% of children with malnutrition live in Asia, 26% in Africa, and 4% in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Click here to learn for more information about waterborne diseases, dimension of the problem, transmission, prevention.

Sources:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/diseases/malnutrition/en/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition
  Picture:
http://images.google.com/images?q=malnutrition&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-12,GGLD:en&start=20&sa=N

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