Northeastern Nigeria: Preventing relapse of acute malnutrition
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The protracted crisis in northeastern Nigeria has resulted in persistently high levels of acute malnutrition, with 1.5 million children under five years of age and over 200 000 pregnant and breastfeeding women acutely malnourished. Despite there being effective treatments to address acute malnutrition in children, several reports show worrying rates of relapse, after being discharged from outpatient treatment programmes (OTPs). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) promotes the production and distribution of locally produced supplementary food (LPSF) called Tom Brown to prevent relapse of acute malnutrition in children under the age of five in the region. To assess the effectiveness of FAO’s LPSF intervention, the Organization carried out a study, the results of which indicate that the regular consumption of Tom Brown has significantly reduced the risk of relapse of global acute malnutrition (GAM) by 35 percent, with a more pronounced effect in boys under the age of five and all children under two years of age. Findings suggest that while LPSF approaches can play a crucial role in mitigating relapse of acute malnutrition, they must be integrated with broader efforts to address the root causes of acute malnutrition for improved and sustained effectiveness.