The emergency nutrition and mortality
survey performed by CDC and partners in September at the request of
WFP found an acute malnutrition rate of up to 21.8 percent across
Darfur. A rate above 15 percent signals a serious situation,
according to current WHO guidelines.
“Combating malnutrition is not just an
issue about supplying food but of getting sufficient calories and
micronutrients,” said CDC survey team member Leisel Talley. “When
nutrition is lacking, weight loss occurs and people become
susceptible to infection. They quickly can succumb to disease and
death. Public health intervention now is essential to protect
lives.”
CDC/WFP found that among children ages 6 months to 5 years in Darfur
- Almost 1 in 4 are acutely
malnourished thereby at increased risk of morbidity and mortality,
- 2 in 5 had diarrhea in the two
weeks prior to the survey, and
- 1 in 2 suffer anemia which
contributes to developmental delays, disease and death, and
- Measles vaccination is
inadequate among children 6-59 months (only 67.6 percent instead
of 95 percent recommended to prevent outbreaks).
The survey also found that for
women
- Almost 1 in 6 reported night
blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency, and
- 1 in 4 has goiter from an iodine
deficiency which is a risk factor in giving birth to children with
mental disabilities.
This survey showed that mortality
rates averaged over the last 7 months among the population as a
whole remain below emergency benchmarks. However, given the elevated
level of malnutrition and high prevalence of diarrhea these rates
are likely to increase. Factors contributing to the health crisis,
in addition to insufficient food and micronutrients, include poor
sanitation and limited availability and access to health care.
The CDC survey team recommends immediate steps to reduce the health
threat, including:
- Expanding supplementary feeding
programs (high-quality dietary supplementation of the existing
ration) for all children less than 5 years old and pregnant and
lactating women.
- Delivering a full general food
ration to meet the 2100Kcal minimum.
- Initiate measles immunization
campaign to target children previously missed.
- Improving access for people to
health care services, water/sanitation and nutrition programs.
“The situation in Darfur is very
precarious,” said WFP Senior Officer Rita Bhatia. “Humanitarian
assistance is going to be required for some time.”
Highlights of the CDC/WFP survey report are available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ierh/.
The survey project involved a team of experts from WFP-Rome and the
CDC in Atlanta, in coordination with Sudan-based staff from the U.N.
Children’s Fund, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Save
the Children/U.S., Save the Children/U.K., and WFP.
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