(16 Jul 2014) When local hospitals don't find a cure, mothers take their infants to al-Sabin hospital in Sanaa.
Here, specialised cures give them hope to save Yemen's children from one of the country's biggest threats - malnutrition.
According to preliminary findings of a joint United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) survey, 10 (m) million Yemenis - 40 percent of the population - are suffering from food insecurity.
Five (m) million of these are found to be severely food insecure and generally require external food assistance.
Chronic malnutrition among children under the age of five has been labelled beyond "critical".
Lina Al-Eryani, the head of nutrition at the Yemeni Public Health and Population Ministry, says the situation in Yemen is "alarming" and "scary".
"Fifty percent of child mortality is caused by malnutrition," she declares.
"Activities and nutritional interventions by health centres and using advanced treatments to treat malnutrition helped decrease that rate from 57 percent to 44 percent," she adds.
But back at al-Sabin hospital, the situation is far from heartening.
Most children under treatment look terrified and dumbfounded.
Only a few have the strength to utter a childlike cry.
Even if the child doesn't die, malnutrition reduces the ability of the child's immune system to fight illnesses, leaving the child more susceptible to diseases and infections.
In the long run, these can cause further growth problems, cognitive problems or even death.
Out of all 22 Yemeni governorates examined in the survey, 12 were found to have critical levels of stunting, a condition in children caused by chronic malnutrition whereby their natural growth is inhibited.
Of the estimated 4.5 (m) million children under the age of five, more than 2 in 5 are stunted, while almost 13 percent are acutely malnourished, according to the Acting UNICEF Representative in Yemen in a statement.
The UN survey, usually held every two years, was carried out with the support of Yemen's Central Statistical Office and funding from the United States government.
The findings were based on more than 10,500 household interviews and measurements taken from some 14,000 women and 13,500 children.
Malnutrition is a serious threat that Yemen must tackle by working on providing its citizens with the proper infrastructure and economic stability.
Last year, Yemen launched a major public information and communication campaign alongside a Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) initiative to put an end to malnutrition.
UNICEF is a major partner in the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement, which is bringing much needed attention and investment for nutrition in different countries including Yemen.

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