Malnutrition is a nutritional disorder resulting from not having enough food, or enough of the right food, for a long time. Everyone needs good food to be healthy. Refugees and displaced people are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition because they are forced to flee on short notice and do not have enough time to bring much food with them. Sometimes they must travel for days or weeks with little or no access to food. Children under 5 years of age are most at risk because they are growing rapidly and have a hard time fighting off disease.
Malnutrition can have long-term effects by stunting growth or causing mental retardation.
It is a key factor in the deaths of six million children each year. Pregnant and nursing mothers are the most vulnerable because they need more calories and nutrients than other adults. Because they are usually isolated and have a harder time accessing food, the elderly are also at high risk. Malnourished adults are more susceptible to serious diseases like tuberculosis because their bodies are weakened. Lack of protein can cause fluids that belong in the blood to escape into the stomach, causing it to inflate.