Medical charity reports 6 cases of malnourished children in Greek island migrant camp

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A medical charity working in Greece says it has diagnosed six young children living in a migrant facility on the eastern Aegean island of Samos as suffering from malnutrition, the first time its doctors have made such a diagnosis since the facility opened in 2021.

The Greek section of Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said Monday its staff had diagnosed the children, who are aged between 6 months and 6 years old, with moderate to severe acute malnutrition and in need of immediate medical intervention.

“Children make up about 25% of the (camp’s) population, yet pediatric care remains insufficient, not only within the center but on the entire island of Samos,” MSF Greece’s Director General Christina Psarra said in a news release.

The six children, who hailed from Afghanistan and Syria, all arrived in the camp with their families within the last two to three months, and it was not possible to determine whether they had already been suffering from malnutrition before they arrived, Psarra told The Associated Press.

However, “definitely the conditions in the camp have made things more difficult and have had an aggravating effect,” she said.

Asked about the MSF claims, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum said it would have a response later Monday.

Psarra said that while meals were provided for the camp’s residents, the diet “is not nutritious for children of this age.” The situation was exacerbated by the severance nine months ago of a stipend provided to asylum seekers in Greece, which had allowed them to purchase fresh food and other basic necessities, she added.

Officially designated as a “closed controlled access center,” the European Union-funded migrant camp in Samos, built on a hillside about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the island’s main port of Vathy, was opened in 2021 to replace a massively overcrowded camp that had developed on the town’s fringes.

The camp, which is guarded by police and private security, has a capacity of 3,664 people and as of Monday, it was housing 3,176 people, according to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

Psarra noted that the children had already endured grueling journeys to arrive in Samos, and conditions inside the camp exacerbated their medical situation.

Rights groups have reported dire conditions in the camp in Samos, including poor sanitation and a shortage of running water.

“They are children who have been through painful journeys. They have had many difficulties in arriving,” Psarra said of the malnourished children on Samos. “The conditions in the camp makes it even worse.”

Greece lies on one of the most popular routes into the EU for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many make the short but treacherous boat journey from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands like Samos, often in small, unseaworthy inflatable dinghies.

Last week, at least seven people, including three children, died near another Greek island, Lesbos, after the inflatable dinghy they were traveling in sank. Another 23 people survived and were taken to a migrant camp in Lesbos.

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