September 2002, Volume 8 No. 2

ARTICLE 6

Infectious Diseases and Malnutrition Status in Nepal: an Overview

Shiba Kumar Rai¹, Kazuko Hirai², Ayako Abe³ & Yoshimi Ohno<sup>4

1</sup> Department of Microbiology, Nepal Medical College, Jorpati-7, Kathmandu, Nepal
² Department of Health and Nutrition, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Osaka, Japan
³ Department of Human Life Studies, Kobe Yamate College, Kobe, Japan
⁴ Department of Food science & Nutrition, School of Human Environmental Sciences, Mukogawa Women’s University, Nishinomiya, Japan.

ABSTRACT

This paper sheds light on infectious diseases and the status of malnutrition in Nepal, a Himalayan country located in South Asia. In spite of efforts by both Government and non-government sectors, infectious diseases are rampant in the countries constituting a major cause of morbidity and mortality, which in turn, impose a socio-economic and public health burden for the country.  Intestinal parasitic infection has been implicated in the causation of malnutrition.  Malnutrition associated with child mortality is more common among children aged less than five years. Nepalese women suffer from chronic malnutrition.  People in rural areas are more affected by malnutrition than those in urban areas. This has been attributed to poverty, lack of education, and rampant infectious diseases.

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