Nutrition
Tens of thousands of young Haitian children suffering from severe and moderate acute malnutrition go untreated every year; many of them die and those who survive may face lifelong debilitations.
One response is to improve efforts to prevent malnutrition, through biofortification – improving the nutritional quality of staple food products – or providing supplements to expectant mothers, to improve the nutrition of their children.
Another response is to focus on combating wasting. Children suffering from wasting have a low weight-for-height ratio. This involves screening and treating children who are suffering from severe and moderate malnutrition using a standard ready-to- use therapeutic food.
Preventative Nutrition Interventions
Anemia and micronutrient deficiencies affect a large proportion of the population in Haiti. An estimated 21% of children born in the last 3 years in Haiti had low birth weight, although birth weight was reported in only 26% of births. According to the most recent survey, 49% of women of reproductive age and 65% of preschool children were anemic.
Expanding Community-Based Management of Children Suffering from Moderate and Severe Acute Malnutrition Using a standard and a Local RUTF Formula
Tens of thousands of young Haitian children suffering from severe (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) go untreated every year; many of them die and those who survive may face lifelong debilitations.
