It is possible that Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq has chronic medical conditions, but the picture of him that the Guardian published leaves no doubt that he is also suffering from malnutrition (We published a photo of a malnourished child in Gaza. It made an impact globally – and created controversy, 6 August).
David Collier implies that cerebral palsy might be the cause of this, but for many years paediatricians have rejected the belief that malnutrition is an inevitable consequence of this condition, or indeed of many other chronic diseases affecting children. Nutritional supplementation, delivered if necessary by feeding tube, has been shown to prevent or reverse malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy when appropriate nutritional needs are met.
