In Argentina's poverty-hit barrios a food emergency takes hold

Lilian Gonzalez, 36, prepares a meal with the food she received from a soup kitchen, with her son, Joaquin Mendieta, 11, and her daughter, Dana Mendieta, in Villa Soldati, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 16, 2024. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu/File Photo

BUENOS AIRES/SALTA, Argentina (Reuters) - In Argentina's poor barrios a food emergency is taking hold as poverty rises, with malnutrition on the increase and medics treating children for eye diseases and even scurvy linked to a vitamin-deficient diet.

Years of recessions and high inflation in the resource-rich South American nation have left over half the population in poverty, including around seven in 10 children.