Nutrition survey and screening results
Despite the start of main season harvests, the Boko Haram conflict continues to limit accessibility, humanitarian assistance, liveihoods and markets in parts of Borno and Yobe States. Mass MUAC screenings from the last six months continue to indicate a nutrition emergency in recently accessible localities, including Bama, Banki, Monguno, Konduga, Gamboru and Ngala in Borno and Tarmuwa, Gujba and Gulani in Yobe. In these areas the proportion of childen screened indicating global acute malnutrition (GAM, MUAC<125mm) ranged from 20 to 50 percent. These GAM levels reflect an “Extreme Critical” situation according to the IPC for Acute Malnutrition and are associated with a significantly increased risk of child mortality. Conditions may be worse in areas that remain inaccessible.
The situation remains Critical in the more accessible areas of Kaga, Konduga, Maiduguri Metropolitan Center (MMC), and Jere LGAs in Borno State, where GAM levels among children screened continue to range from 8 to 20 percent (GAM, MUAC<125mm). These areas continue to show Critical trends despite relatively open access to and assistance from humanitarian actors. Additionally, specific sites within these LGAs are showing an Extreme Critical proportion of children screened as acutely malnourished (MUAC<125mm). Data from UNICEF’s polio vaccination campaign screening of over 350,000 children indicated that 10 of the 36 wards had Extreme Critical GAM levels between 18 and 25 percent, while MSF screenings in Customs House IDP Camp, Bolori, and Maimsumari indicate more severe GAM levels, each surpassing 35 percent.
Therapeutic feeding program in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa state
Acutely malnourished children in some areas of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States have received nutritional and medical rehabilitation through outpatient therapeutic feeding programs in State health facilties. The map above shows monitored health facilities rendering CMAM services and reported admission density by LGA. Data available indicates that in August 2016 Jere, Monguno and MMC LGAs had between 1,000 and 2,000 reported new admissions for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), while LGAs in the northwestern fringes of Yobe state comprising Machina, Yusufari, Bursari and Bade recorded between 501 and 1,000 new admissions. The 7,000 total reported cases in August represent only a small fraction of the estimated 300,000 severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases that UNICEF reports targeting in the three states. Although these admission numbers show an improving trend as improved accessibility and security allows for better service delivery, many facilities remain at limited functionality with inadequate numbers of health workers and irregular medical supply chains. Borno State’s Health Sector reports that over half of the 632 assessed health facilities are damaged, looted or closed while eight LGAs have three health partners or less serving the population (Abadam, Mobbar and Marte have zero). In Adamawa State, data is available from IRC which is providing CMAM services through community health workers and facility staff in three LGAs (Maihi, Mubi South and Hong).
Acutely malnourished children in UNICEF monitored IDP camps
Mass MUAC screenings are conducted on a weekly basis in IDP camp health centers supported by UNICEF. From August to September 2016 these screenings continued to reveal a very high percentage of malnourished children in a majority of the camps, including a significant number of cases of severe acute malnutrition. Children with severe acute malnutrition are at a significantly increased risk of death. MUAC screening-based GAM levels continue to surpass 15 percent in 15 of the 23 camps reporting new data. In 14 of the camps, GAM levels had increased in the current period (August 8th to September 30th) in comparison to the previous two-month period from June 6th to August 7th. While health screening data is also not statistically representative, it provides further evidence of extremely poor nutrition outcomes in northeast Nigeria.
Credit: NigeriaToday