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The side effects of COVID-19 have sparked a global food insecurity crisis, with 265 million people projected to experience life-threatening levels of hunger this year alone. Meanwhile, movement restrictions and other security measures put in place to combat the virus, along with fears of contracting COVID-19, have made health and nutrition services less accessible to families. This is especially worrisome among the most vulnerable. An analysis by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) found an alarming drop in the number of people arriving at nutrition clinics at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 2019.
In Somalia, the analysis indicated a 20% decrease, compared to the same period in 2019, in cases of severe acute malnutrition in IRC-supported clinics, despite experts warning of a 64% increase in people facing a food crisis. From March to August 2020 in South Sudan, there was a decrease of more than 19% in the number of patients seeking care for severe and moderate acute malnutrition, compared to the same period in 2019. This despite the figures that show the number of malnourished children in the country was 1.3 million as of September 2020.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the analysis found a 15% drop in children receiving treatment for malnutrition this year, despite an alarming 64% increase in the number of people facing a food crisis since February. In Yemen, IRC data found a 12.5% decrease during the peak months of COVID-19 compared to the same period in 2019 for children receiving treatment for malnutrition, despite warnings that food insecurity and hunger have increased by 60% since April this year.
Even before the pandemic, access to health facilities and service providers was a challenge in conflict and crisis situations. COVID-19 related disruptions, including those legitimately implemented to curb coronavirus infection rates, have further exacerbated these access issues alongside other factors such as ongoing conflict and insecurity, worsening economic crises, floods and more.
Mesfin Tessema, IRC Senior Technical Director for Health, says:
“When a crisis occurs, we know that food insecurity becomes a real risk that must be mitigated quickly and effectively. Measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, coupled with supply chain disruptions and fears of getting sick, have led to more people not only starving, but less likely to seek and receive care than need. COVID-19 is exacerbating an already dire situation in East Africa, where multiple factors – conflict, severe weather shocks, including record floods and alternate droughts and locusts – have left 18.7 million people food insecure. ” .
Year after year, no less than 7% of the world’s children under the age of five (approximately 47 million children in 2019) suffer from a dangerous form of malnutrition known as acute malnutrition or wasting. This form of malnutrition, seen most often in conflict-affected states, increases the risk of infant mortality by 3-11 times. Tragically, malnutrition is the cause of almost half of all deaths in children under five years of age worldwide.
As food insecurity is exacerbated by COVID-19, not only are more people in need of care, but families who have already seen progress are now at risk of seeing setbacks. Acute malnutrition is now projected to rise 14%, a staggering increase, and four countries: Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at risk of famine. The heads of United Nations agencies have indicated that $ 2.4 billion in additional investment is needed to truly protect children by preventing and treating acute malnutrition, and the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) for COVID -19 has requested $ 247 million for an essential nutritional response. Despite this, there is a funding gap of billions of dollars and, to date, only 3% has been funded, approximately $ 7.7 million.
To support children suffering from malnutrition during COVID-19, IRC has adapted its programming to reach as many people as possible. This includes increasing supplies of ready-to-use fortified foods at home so families do not have to return to clinics weekly. Instead of conducting mass screenings, which could increase the risk of infection, the IRC is equipping families with measuring tapes to monitor the nutritional status of their children at home. This proactive approach also eliminates the need for families to frequently travel with sick children long distances to clinics. IRC also continues to support the simplified system so that all children, regardless of where they are on the spectrum of malnutrition, are treated. in a program until full recovery. Partners across the industry are similarly tailoring programs to ensure that children receive the care they need during the pandemic.
To continue reaching the most vulnerable during this pandemic, more support is urgently needed in both the short and long term. Donors must meet the needs outlined in the GHRP to mitigate both the decline in reporting and the increase in malnutrition rates. The global community must also make long-term and ambitious commitments to nutrition at the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit, including doubling down on nutrition-specific interventions. To draw more attention to this deep and growing need for funding for nutrition, IRC and its partners are calling on global donors to increase their commitment to nutrition to avoid rising infant mortality due to rising rates of malnutrition. and hunger during the pandemic. around COVID-19, but concerns about increasing food insecurity, hunger, and acute malnutrition rates are clear.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the International Rescue Committee.
