Over 535,500 children under five years old suffer from acute malnutrition, an unprecedented level
OUAGADOUGOU, 7 September 2020 — There are over a million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burkina Faso,1 60 per cent of whom are children, with 3.3 million people acutely food insecure.2 A new survey3 shows that the nutritional situation of children is worsening.
The Nutrition survey in communities and sites with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burkina Faso, conducted by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Davycas in July and August 2020 with the support of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), was carried out in 11 communes with a high concentration of IDPs. These communes are home to a total of 576,972 IDPs out of the 1,013,234 nationally registered,4 representing 57 per cent of IDPs.
Over 535,500 children under the age of 5 years suffer from global acute malnutrition, 156,500 of whom are severely malnourished. These children with severe acute malnutrition are nine times more likely to die5 than well-nourished children. Infant mortality rates have exceeded the reference threshold of one death per 10,000 children per day in the Barsalogho IDP site (1.3 deaths per 10,000 children) and in the commune of Gorgadji (1.7 deaths per 10,000 children).
“The aggravating factors causing the nutritional situation of children to deteriorate in these areas are primarily linked to the displacement of populations due to insecurity, reduced access to livelihoods and reduced access to health care and nutrition,” said James Mugaju, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Burkina Faso. “The coronavirus pandemic has had a brutal impact on households and their ability to provide for the basic needs of their children. Children are paying the highest price, facing a triple crisis: security, health and food.”
According to the survey, in Gorom-Gorom in the Sahel region and the Barsalogho IDP site in the Centre-Nord region, the number of children under 5 years suffering from global acute malnutrition exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency threshold of 15 per cent, at 18.4 per cent and 16.1 per cent respectively. Equally alarming, the communes of Dori, Gorgadji, Bourzanga and Fada N’Gourma all have a high prevalence of global acute malnutrition, ranging from 12.5 per cent to 13.6 per cent. Children in the communes of Barsalogho, Kongoussi, Ouahigouya, Kaya and Matiacoali also have concerning prevalence rates of global acute malnutrition, ranging from 8.6 per cent to 9.6 per cent.
Areas where children are particularly affected by acute malnutrition also include those with the highest number of acutely food-insecure families. For example, the commune of Gorom-Gorom, which has a global acute malnutrition rate over the 15 per cent threshold (18.4 per cent), is in Oudalan province, where food insecurity is in an emergency situation with at least one in five households experiencing an extreme food deficit. All the other surveyed communes are in provinces experiencing a crisis food insecurity phase.6
“We need to further intensify efforts with partners and authorities to ensure the continuity of nutrition services in hard-to-reach areas and to provide an integrated package of prevention and treatment of malnutrition to reach these children in urgent need. This is essential because good nutrition for children, from their first days and months, protects them from disease and infection, and helps them to recover when they fall ill,” said James Mugaju.
UNICEF and its partners are increasing their actions in the field. Community health workers are mobilized to travel to the most remote areas in order to screen and treat malnourished children at the community level. They also provide advice on the best feeding practices for infants and young children, including in emergency situations.
UNICEF is supporting health authorities and is strengthening efforts to procure and deliver therapeutic foods (milk and ready-to-use therapeutic foods) needed to treat acute malnutrition to health-care facilities. More than 52,600 cartons of therapeutic food (737 tons) have been delivered to health-care facilities and 51,685 children with severe acute malnutrition have been treated since January 2020.
“We must act and work together to deliver the historic commitment of the 2030 Agenda to intensify our efforts in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in the area of nutrition,” said James Mugaju.
“Well-nourished girls and boys ensure good physical and cognitive development, which will give them equal opportunities to grow up fulfilled and reach their full potential,” he added.
More on the reports :
2 Fiche de communication du cadre harmonisé d’analyse et d’identification des zones à risque et d’estimation des populations en insécurité alimentaire au Sahel et en Afrique de l’Ouest [Harmonized framework for analysis and identification of risk areas, and estimation of food-insecure populations in West Africa and the Sahel communication sheet], 11 July 2020.The document shows that 3.3 million people are in one of the following phases: i) crisis: one in five households have a considerable food deficit, with high rates of global acute malnutrition and a depletion of livelihood assets; ii) emergency: at least one in five households have an extreme food deficit and an extreme loss of livelihood assets; iii) catastrophe: at least one in five households have a complete food deficit and are at risk of death.
3 Enquête nutritionnelle dans les communautés et les sites d’accueil des personnes déplacées internes (PDI) au Burkina Faso [Nutrition survey in communities and sites with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burkina Faso], July–August 2020; in the communes of Gorom-Gorom, Dori, Gorgadji, Bourzanga, Fada N’Gourma, Barsalogho (commune and IDP site), Kongoussi, Ouahigouya, Kaya and Matiacoali.
4 National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR), 8 August 2020.
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