UNICEF: Sahel Malnutrition

In the Sahel region of West Africa, the lines of mothers at health centres seeking medical assistance are a common sight. They are watching the scales as their babies are screened for acute malnutrition.

Today, at the height of the drought, the worst is yet to come. An estimated 4 million children under 5 years-old, are at risk of acute malnutrition and 1.1 million are at risk of severe acute malnutrition. For mothers, the anguish of seeing their children weaken from the condition is heart wrenching.

"The crisis in the Sahel represents a cyclical problem, every few years mothers are faced with the reality of having to make very difficult decisions in the face of severe food shortages," explains UNICEF Emergency Nutrition Specialist, Erin Boyd.

Children suffering from acute malnutrition enter health centres looking very thin. They begin using their body fat and muscle, then their immune system weakens and they become vulnerable to infections. The ones with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are at risk of dying.

Nutrition solutions could save them.

"If a child is severely acutely malnourished and gets the right treatment in a very short space of time, that child will survive." UNICEF spokesperson, Patrick McCormick explains. "If not, he will likely die. "

Throughout the Sahel, UNICEF is supporting thousands of therapeutic feeding programs and health centers that are proving to be very effective at enabling children with severe acute malnutrition to recover.

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