Usakos child malnutrition rate spikes despite fewer cases

Usakos has recorded the Erongo region’s highest child malnutrition incidence rate over the past three years, driven by widespread poverty and systemic healthcare gaps.

This is despite recording fewer cases than the region’s larger districts.

Figures from the Erongo health directorate show that Usakos recorded a malnutrition incidence rate of 7.2% in 2024, 5.3% in 2025, and 4% between January and July this year.

The regional incidence rate stood at 3.7% in 2024, 3.9% in 2025, and 2.5% in the first seven months of this year.

Tuyenikelao Mwashekele, the chief health programme officer of the family health division at the Erongo Directorate of Health, says Usakos requires urgent attention because of the continued high malnutrition rate in relation to its smaller population.