Category Archives: nutrition

Tearing Down the Roadblocks: Another Look at Building the Resilience of Smallholder Farmers

Africa, nutrition, policy,

 

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As I drove home from the Baltimore-Washington International Airport earlier this month, I could not help but notice the electronic bulletins on the I-95 and Capitol Beltway that flashed “D.C. Event Aug 4-6, expect delays.” The event, of course, referred to the first ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, while the delays referred to the inevitable abundance of motorcades.

During the span of those three days, nearly 50 African heads of state gathered in Washington, D.C. for discussions with President Obama, administration officials and business leaders on a range of topics under the theme of “Investing in the Next Generation.” While we expected many roadblocks to be put up around D.C. that week, we were hoping that one major development roadblock would be pulled down during the Summit: neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

These parasitic and bacterial infections affect 1.4 billion people living in poor and marginalized communities around the world, particularly in agricultural populations. Once infected, poor communities remain impoverished due to resulting physical and mental disabilities, including blindness, anemia, immobility, delayed cognitive development and social stigma. NTDs leave children too sick to attend school and keep adults from working. And because NTDs destroy vital social and economic capital, controlling and eliminating these diseases must be an essential element of the emerging new Africa that is increasingly seeking growth through business opportunities.

Regretfully, NTDs and the roadblock they raise against productivity and prosperity were not prioritized at the Summit (outside of a mention in USAID’s press release about its major initiatives). While we were happy to see impressive new private-sector commitments to electricity and food security, particularly to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, the omission of NTDs from those conversations and commitments signaled a missed opportunity for US-Africa relations.

For example, over the past two years, private companies, philanthropists and governments have committed an astounding $10 billion for agriculture investments in Africa through the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. This initiative was launched in 2012 to build on the commitments made by G7/8 leaders to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth, food security and good nutrition in the region over the next ten years.

While the New Alliance (and many other initiatives) is undeniably doing great work at strengthening the resilience of agricultural communities in Africa, fighting NTDs is an immediate and cost-effective opportunity that is available now to expand and strengthen these efforts. By working to reduce the incidence of NTDs in Africa, partners could positively impact the New Alliance’s same target areas, and more importantly, the poorest populations most affected by poor nutrition and food security.

Because Africa’s core agricultural workforce — smallholder subsistence farmers — are disproportionately affected by NTDs, the billions of dollars in agricultural investments made by governments and the private sector could be undermined if NTD control and elimination is not prioritized. In fact, smallholder farmers will be less productive and derive fewer benefits from New Alliance funding if NTDs are not addressed.

NTD infections also prevent people from enjoying the benefits of having access to a diverse, nutrient-rich diet. Roundworms, for example, compete with children for key nutrients and vitamins in order to grow. As a result, roundworm infections and other NTDs have serious consequences on a child’s growth and development, leading to micronutrient deficiencies, stunting and overall poor nutritional status.

Simply put, the New Alliance’s goals of achieving food security and good nutrition in Africa cannot be fully and sustainably achieved without addressing NTDs.

Many incredible (and highly cost-effective) victories have been won in the fight against NTDs, but greater investments are still needed to help smallholder farmers overcome the first basic roadblock to doing good business. Tackling NTDs truly helps communities invest in the next generation by offering them the opportunity to participate in their own sustainable solutions to poverty.

Watch for more information from the Global Network on the important linkages between NTDs and nutrition in the coming months!

Acute Malnutrition: An Everyday Emergency

nutritionworld humanitarian day

 

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Photo by Olivier Asselin

As part of World Humanitarian Day, Sabrina de Souza, Nutrition Advocacy Coordinator at RESULTS UK, part of the ACTION Partnership, highlights severe acute malnutrition (SAM) — a type of malnutrition that often occurs alongside humanitarian crises, but increasingly in non-emergency settings as well. While acute malnutrition can be treated with energy-dense, micronutrient-enriched foods, efforts to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) can also improve nutrition outcomes.

When you see an image of an emaciated child, what’s your instant reaction? You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that this child may be caught in the middle of some humanitarian emergency, such as a drought or a famine. It is a common outcome of such crises. Millions of children — 52 million to be exact — suffer from acute malnutrition, which causes rapid and severe weight loss, leaving children emaciated. In the most severe form — severe acute malnutrition — this condition can quickly result in death without treatment.

Thankfully, treatment is available. Cost-effective and high-impact approaches to treatment have revolutionized the fight against acute malnutrition. Through community-based approaches we are able to identify and treat more children than ever before. Energy-dense, micronutrient-enriched foods — known as RUFTs — can effectively treat children in a matter of weeks, without needing to be admitted to hospital.

Despite revolutions in treatment, 90 percent of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are unable to access the treatment they need. In 20 years, between 1990 and 2011, the global burden of acute malnutrition fell by just 11percent, from 58 million to 52 million. In sub-Saharan Africa, the numbers of acutely malnourished children actually grew during this period from 10 million to 13 million. This is due, in part, to the way that the treatment of acute malnutrition is delivered.

An everyday emergency

While acute malnutrition can occur during humanitarian emergencies, it commonly occurs in stable settings as well — making it an everyday emergency. The treatment of severe acute malnutrition is primarily delivered via emergency responses, which are typically short in duration. Therefore, children who are at risk of acute malnutrition in stable, non-emergency settings often struggle to access this life-saving treatment.

The supply of life-saving RUTFs is often restricted to periods of crisis. As a result, clinics can suffer from regular stock-outs — a major barrier to accessing treatment. Repeated stock-outs can contribute to community-based SAM treatment services as being perceived as unreliable, leading to significant increases in length of stay, absenteeism and children defaulting from treatment.

A staggering 1 million children die each year from this condition, despite the fact that it is preventable and treatable. If we hope to make a dent in this number, and safeguard the futures of millions of children, then more needs to be done to bridge the gap between short-term humanitarian funding and long-term sustainable development funding.

The UK: leading by example

Sustainable funding is needed so governments in high-burden countries can plan and implement long-term strategies to tackle acute malnutrition. The UK, which is among the top providers of humanitarian assistance, is making encouraging steps to fund multi-year nutrition-related programmes in a number of high-burden countries, including Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia and Yemen, which aim to bridge the gap between humanitarian aid and longer-term funding. However, more needs to be done and there is scope to replicate these much needed programmes in other high-burden countries that DFID works in.

The Generation Nutrition campaign encourages other donors, including Sweden, Turkey, the United States and EU institutions, which sit alongside the UK as the top providers of humanitarian assistance, to follow suit in recognising acute malnutrition as a development issue, not just a results of a humanitarian crisis, that requires sustainable funding for both the treatment and prevention of life-threatening condition.

What can you do?

Sign the Generation Nutrition petition calling on leaders all over the world to take urgent action to reduce the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition and safeguard the lives of millions of children.

The Role of Worms in Malnutrition

nutrition,

 

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Photo by Olivier Asselin

In impoverished communities worldwide, children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, anemia, impaired cognitive and physical development, and pregnancy complications. As a result, they remain trapped in poverty, facing the socioeconomic consequences of decreased productivity and an inability to work or go to school because of their poor health.

But the reason behind their suffering may surprise you.

A new article in PLOS NTDs reveals how soil-transmitted helminths — a group of three parasitic worm infections — can be the culprit in many areas with heavy neglected tropical disease (NTD) burdens and bleak living conditions.

The authors, Sabin Vaccine Institute President Dr. Peter Hotez, former World Bank Lead Health Specialist for Africa Dr. Donald Bundy and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Medical Resident Dr. Selvi Rajagopal, focus on vitamin A and iron deficiencies and their relationship to the three soil-transmitted helminths: ascariasis, hookworm and trichuriasis.

On vitamin A, the authors write, “As well as having direct effects, severe vitamin A deficiency can have significant indirect consequences, for example, increasing susceptibility to potentially fatal illnesses such as measles and lower respiratory infections. As a result, the link between vitamin A deficiency and ascariasis has potentially important consequences for global health, especially since ascariasis may be the most common chronic childhood infection worldwide.”

Hookworm and trichuriasis, meanwhile, can lead to iron deficiency anemia. “Among adults, even light [hookworm] infections can produce anemia, especially in pregnant women. … Moderate-to-heavy hookworm infections and trichuriasis specifically have in some circumstances been shown to lead to failure to achieve intellectual potential and cognitive impairment. … Anemia and a moderate-to-heavy parasite burden of either helminth species were identified as independent risk factors for stunting,” the authors explain.

Given the clear linkages between soil-transmitted helminths and malnutrition, the authors suggest that more research be conducted to help identify how programs delivering interventions for each can be integrated in a cost-effective, sustainable way.

To read the full article, “Micronutrient Supplementation and Deworming in Children with Geohelminth Infections,” click here.

Neglected Tropical Diseases and the #March4Nutrition

nutrition

 

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Photo by Olivier Asselin

 

During the month of March, the 1,000 Days Partnership is highlighting the critical role of nutrition in the 1,000 day window from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday. As part of their online “march” to raise awareness, the 1,000 Days Partnership is leveraging its online presence to inform the public with blogs, infographics and social media — all focusing on the importance of nutrition.

The right nutrition during this 1,000 day window can have an enormous impact on a mother’s health and the health of her child. However, even if a mother is receiving proper nutrition, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) could cause anemia, malnutrition and other serious complications during pregnancy, leading to complications for newborns, such as low birth weight.

NTDs, a group of parasitic and bacterial infections, affect one in six people worldwide, including 40 million women of child bearing age and more than 500 million children. However, safe and effective treatment exists to protect mothers and children against the seven most common NTDs. Through mass drug administration (MDA) mothers and children receive medicine to rid their bodies of NTDs and help them hold on to the nutrients they need.

As we #March4Nutrition this month, let’s not forget the important role that NTDs play in ensuring proper nutrition for mothers and children.

For more information on the link between nutrition, NTDs and maternal and child health, click here and here.