Madhya Pradesh faces child nutrition crisis despite vaccination gains

Child nutrition and health in Madhya Pradesh have seen worrying changes in recent years. New data reveals a sharp decline in adequate diets for young children, alongside rising rates of diarrhoea and underweight cases. However, some improvements in vaccination and early breastfeeding have also been recorded. Nearly nine out of ten children aged 6 to 23 months in Madhya Pradesh are not getting enough to eat. Among breastfeeding children, 87.6% lack a proper diet, while the figure rises to 91.1% for those no longer breastfed. This widespread deprivation has coincided with a drop in exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months, falling from 74% in 2019 to just 56.4%.

Diarrhoea cases among under-fives have climbed from 6.4% to 10.5%, with severe diarrhoea also increasing from 0.5% to 0.7%. Meanwhile, the proportion of underweight children has risen sharply, from 33% to 39.7%. These trends highlight growing health challenges for the state’s youngest residents.

On a more positive note, vaccination rates have improved. Fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 23 months now stand at 85.8%, up from 83.3%. Almost all vaccinations—97.4%—are administered at government hospitals. Early breastfeeding has also seen progress, with 49.9% of newborns now fed within the first hour, compared to 41.3% previously. Acute respiratory infections, however, have declined from 2.6% to 1.4%. The latest figures show a mixed picture for child health in Madhya Pradesh. While vaccination coverage and early breastfeeding have improved, malnutrition and diarrhoea rates continue to worsen. These findings point to ongoing struggles in ensuring adequate nutrition and preventing common childhood illnesses.