Nepal, Sherpa children of the Khumbu, 1986

Nepal, children of the Khumbu, 1986. Four children holding primula flowers, Namche Bazar (altitude 3446 metres). In 1991, 40% of Nepalese children were estimated to be malnourished, particularly in the hill and mountain regions, both of which suffered from food shortages. Nearly half of all Nepalese children died before reaching the age of five. Endemic bacterial diseases in the Khumbu included pneumonia, influenza, chest infections, gastro-enteritis and impetigo. By the mid-1980s, up to 15 new cases of tuberculosis were diagnosed each year among the region's 3000 inhabitants.