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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Emergency Nutrition Network has released a new Field Exchange issue with a special focus on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
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
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
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
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 interventions are an important component of comprehensive care and support for people living with HIV (PLHIV)
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.
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.
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.
Work has begun to manage the problem of malnutrition in Djibouti through community-based activities.
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.
Pre-service training curricula on the management of severe acute malnutrition is further developed in South Africa.
Progress is being made in South Africa to expand both inpatient and community-based management of severe acute 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.
The existing Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) programme in Zambia is being scaled up, backed by new funding.
The Malawi Ministry of health has facilitated a massive scale up of Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) throughout the country during 2007 and 2008.
The Ministry of Health in Malawi has developed a creative solution to the need for personnel to manage community-based nutrition programmes.
An African-based working group now exists to examine the impact of the HIV virus on severely malnourished children.
