IMTF convenors, governors and regional representatives meet
A meeting was held at the IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, March 19-20, 2012 to update members on the IMTF activities in 2011 and to discuss plans for 2012.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Underweight prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa remained roughly the same from 1990 to 2004. Given this lack of progress and population growth, the total number of underweight children actually increased. Contributory factors were drought, conflict, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
"One out of five children in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia is underweight, and the proportion of underweight children in Lesotho and Zimbabwe was higher in 2004 than in 1990."
"In Ethiopia, almost half of children are underweight, a rate unchanged since 1990, making it unlikely the country will achieve the target without an extraordinary push."
"Wasting in the Sahelian countries affects more than 1 million children"
(Progress for children: a report card on nutrition, UNICEF, 2006)
Progress has been made in some countries, such as Botswana, which reduced underweight prevalence from 17 per cent in 1996 to 13 per cent in 2000, in spite of its record high HIV prevalence rate. Nigeria is improving at a rate of 2.2 per cent a year, yet due to its large population its proportion of underweight children still dominates regional statistics.
Click on the links below to find up to date news on progress in the region. If you have news from Sub-Saharan Africa that you would like to share email us.
MALNUTRITION E-LEARNING LAUNCHED
The IMTF and Faculty of Medicine University of Southampton have developed an eLearning course titled "Caring for Infants and young children with severe malnutrition" based on the WHO recommended guidelines for the management of severe malnutrition. The course aims at providing a standardised and accessible resource that will facilitate the acquisition by health professionals of core competencies in the care and management young children with severe acute malnutrition.
WPHNA Correspondence: RUTF stuff. Can the children be saved with fortified peanut paste?
This correspondence is available in the March issue of the Journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association. Focussing on RUTF, the authors specifically asked the question "Is RUTF ever the right approach?"
IMTF Sessions at FANUS 2011, Abuja, Nigeria
Attending FANUS 2011?
The Federation of African Nutrition Societies 2011 meeting will be held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Nigeria from the 11th to 14th September 2011 on the theme “Accelerating Nutrition Action for Africa’s development”.
Global food crisis takes heavy toll on east Africa
In this recent world report published in the Lancet, an estimated 8·8 million people in east Africa are going hungry, and a sluggish international response is failing to address the growing crisis, which is approaching famine conditions in some areas.
Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) Scale up Meeting
A meeting will be held in November 2011 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia to facilitate the sharing of lessons learned and build consensus on a range of issues relating to national scale-up of CMAM.
Review of Community Based Managememnt of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger
FANTA-2 has undertaken Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition review in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
ANEC 4 NAIROBI DECLARATION
“Education and professional core competencies for nutritional practice and nutritional support and training of health workers in the treatment and prevention of nutritional problems across the life cycle”
Nutritionists and related health professionals attending the 4th African Nutrition and Epidemiology Conference in Nairobi resolved for core competencies for nutrition practice and support and management of nutritional problems.
Niger's hunger crisis: a legacy of lessons unlearned
By Samuel Loewenberg The Lancet 2010;376:579-81
Niger is facing a catastrophyic hunger crisis as aid agencies scramble to secure funding to feed more than half of the country's 8 million people.
The impact of a short-term intervention using the WHO guidelines for the management of severe malnutrition at a rural facility in Angola.
Giugliani C, Duncan BB, Harzheim E, Breysse S, Jarrige L.
A study has shown that short-term intervention with in-service supervision based on the WHO guidelines in a setting of limited resources contributed to a reduction in fatality rates from severe malnutrition
Abstracts of Malawi Conference on Diarrhoea and Malnutrition
The 10th Commonwealth Association of Paediatric Gastroentorologists and Nutritionists (CAPGAN) Conference on Diarrhoea and Malnutrition was held in Blantyre, Malawi from the 12-16 August 2009.
The conference brought together practitioners from around the Commonwealth to discuss child health.
A Large-Scale Distribution of Milk-Based Fortified Spreads: Evidence for a New Approach in Regions with High Burden of Acute Malnutrition
Isabelle Defourny, Andrea Minetti, Ge´za Harczi, Ste´phane Doyon, Susan Shepherd, Milton Tectonidis, Jean-Herve´ Bradol, Michael Golden
This study demonstrated the potential for distribution of fortified spreads to reduce the incidence of severe wasting in large population of children 6–36 months of age in a District of the Maradi Region, Niger.
Probiotics and prebiotics for severe acute malnutrition (PRONUT study): a double-blind efficacy randomised controlled trial in Malawi
Kerac M, Bunn J, Seal A, Thindwa M, Tomkins A, Sadler K, Bahwere P, Collins S.
In Malawi, Synbiotic2000 Forte did not improve severe acute malnutrition outcomes.
Prognostic Accuracy of WHO Growth Standards to Predict Mortality in a Large-Scale Nutritional Program in Niger
Nathanael Lapidus, Francisco J. Luquero, Valérie Gaboulaud, Susan Shepherd, Rebecca F. Grais
A study of children being treated for malnutrition in Niger has shown that, Weight-for-Height indicators calculated using WHO standards were more accurate for predicting mortality risk than those calculated using the NCHS reference.
A large-scale distribution of milk-based fortified spreads: evidence for a new approach in regions with high burden of acute malnutrition
Defourny I, Minetti A, Harczi G, Doyon S, Shepherd S, Tectonidis M, Bradol JH, Golden M.
A study has shown the potential for distribution of fortified spreads to reduce the incidence of severe wasting in large population of children 6-36 months of age in a district of Maradi Region, Niger.
Challeges, successes and opportunities to improve nutrition in Uganda
Extracts from the Proceedings of the Uganda Nutrition Congress
19th – 20th February, 2009. Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel, Kampala, Uganda. Organised by the Uganda Action for Nutrition Society (UGAN)
Supplementary Feeding with Fortified Spreads Results in Higher Recovery Rates than with a Corn/Soy Blend in Moderately Wasted Children
Matilsky DK, Maleta K, Castleman T, Manary MJ.
A study has shown that Fortified Spreads (FS) are superior supplementary foods to Corn-Soy Blended flour (CSB) for moderately wasted Malawian children.
Scaling up Community Therapeutic Care (CTC) in Malawi
March 2009, Issue 35 of Field Exchange has been released by Emergency Nutrition Network. Among the Field articles, Research and News & Views presented in this issue were:
Why Do Some Hospitals achieve better care of severely malnourished children
Thandi Puoane, Katie Cuming, David Sanders, and Ann Ashworth
Despite training and support aimed at implementing the WHO case-management guidelines for SAM, some hospitals reduced their case-fatality rates by at least half, whereas others did not.
Nutritional recovery in HIV infected and uninfected children with severe acute malnutrition
Pamela Fregusson, Jobiba Chinkhumba, Carlos Grijalva-Eternod,Theresa Banda, Catherine Mkangma, Anrew Tomkins
Nutritional recovery has been found to be similar between HIV infected and uninfected children who survived SAM.
The impact of HIV on mortality during in-patient rehabilitation of severely malnourished children in Malawi
Jobiba Chinkhumba, Andrew Tomkins, Theresa Banda, Catherine Mkangama, Pamela Fergusson
This study showed that routine testing and treatment for HIV among all malnourished children is necessary to improve quality of care and reduce mortality among children with SAM.
Infant and Young Child Feeding
Emergency Nutrition Network has released a new Field Exchange issue with a special focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
Effect of Preventive Supplementation With Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food on the Nutritional Status, Mortality and Morbidity of Children
A study in Niger has shown that Short-term supplementation of nonmalnourished children with RUTF reduced the decline in WHZ and the incidence of wasting and severe wasting over 8 months
Uptake of HIV testing and outcomes within a Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) programme to treat SAM
Bahwere P, Piwoz E, Joshua MC, Sadler K, Grobler-Tanner CH, Guerrero S, Collins S.
In Malawi and other high HIV prevalence countries, studies suggest that more than 30% of all severely malnourished children admitted to inpatient nutrition rehabilitation units are HIV-infected
Reduction of unnecessary transfusion and intravenous fluids in severely malnourished children is not enough to reduce mortality
Bachou H, Tumwine JK, Mwadime RK, Ahmed T, Tylleskar T.
Management according to the WHO protocol for severe malnutrition can reduce the need for blood and IV infusions
Fraction of all hospital admissions and deaths attributable to malnutrition among children in rural Kenya
Philip Bejon, Shebe Mohammed, Isaiah Mwangi, Sarah H Atkinson, Faith Osier, Norbert Peshu, Charles R Newton, Kathryn Maitland, and James A Berkley
Data among children from Kenya have shown that malnutrition is a common predisposing factor to death from malaria, Lower Respiratory Tract Infections, diarrhoeal deseases and gastroenteritis and interventions that reduce malnutrition will reduce deaths from all these causes.
Nutrition and HIV/AIDS: A Training Manual for Nurses and Midwives
Nutrition interventions are an important component of comprehensive care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV)
Report of the IMTF's study at ANEC, Cairo, October 2008
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for completing the International Malnutrition Task Force (IMTF) survey during the third ANEC at Cairo, Egypt, 2008.
HIV prevalence in severely malnourished children admitted to nutrition rehabilitation units in Malawi
Susan Thurstans , Marko Kerac , Kenneth Maleta , Theresa Banda and Anne Nesbitt
Severe malnutrition in childhood associated with HIV infection presents a serious humanitarian and public health challenge in Southern Africa.
Community care in Central Africa
Non-Governmental Organisations and UN agencies are working together in Central Africa to scale up the management of malnutrition by implementing Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) in strategic locations.
CTC starts in Djibouti
Work has begun to manage the problem of malnutrition in Djibouti through community-based activities.
Help for malnourished refugees in Ethiopia and Sudan
Valid International is providing technical support to UNHCR for the roll out of Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) in refugee camps in parts of Ethiopia and Eastern Sudan.
Training medical professionals in South Africa
Pre-service training curricula on the management of severe acute malnutrition is further developed in South Africa.
South Africa integrates inpatient and community-based management of malnutrition
Progress is being made in South Africa to expand both inpatient and community-based management of severe acute malnutrition.
Mozambique pilots community-based management of malnutrition
The Ministry of Health in Mozambique is currently piloting the Community-based Therapeutic Care to treat and prevent acute malnutrition in one district of the country.
Zambia awarded funds to scale up CTC
The existing Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) programme in Zambia is being scaled up, backed by new funding.
Community-based care scaled up in Malawi
The Malawi Ministry of health has facilitated a massive scale up of Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) throughout the country during 2007 and 2008.
New cadre of nutrition personnel in Malawi
The Ministry of Health in Malawi has developed a creative solution to the need for personnel to manage community-based nutrition programmes.
Working group set up to investigate severe malnutrition in HIV
An African-based working group now exists to examine the impact of the HIV virus on severely malnourished children.