Kathmandu, Jan. 21 -- Nearly 16 percent of the children under five years of age in Sudurpaschim province have been found to be suffering from an acute form of malnutrition, a recent study shows.

Acute malnutrition, also called wasting, is considered an emergency condition once it exceeds 10 percent because child mortality rises sharply, experts say. And Sudurpaschim's malnutrition situation is alarming, since the rate of 15.8 percent is higher than the WHO threshold of 14.9 percent for serious acute malnutrition.

According to a report of the Smart+ survey published on Tuesday, 25.3 percent of the children in the province are stunted, and 25.5 percent are underweight. Both indicators point to acute undernutrition, according to the World ...