Nutritional Situation Remains Critical in South Sudan

ACF Nutritional Surveillance shows improvement in 2003, but situation still emergency Paris, France — According to 28 nutrition surveys implemented in southern Sudan in 2003, the estimated average prevalence of global acute malnutrition and severe acute malnutrition, expressed in Z-scores, were 20.8% and 3.6% respectively. In 2002, the estimated average rates of GAM and SAM were 26% and 5% respectively, suggesting an improvement of the nutritional situation in southern Sudan. This has to be moderated by methodological uncertainties and an apparent growth in nutritional issues in Bahr El Ghazal balancing the seemingly improving situation in Upper Nile.

The potential improvement of the nutritional situation in southern Sudan must be gauged against the fact that:

• About 70% of the surveys (19 out of 28) are fully above emergency levels (in GAM rates).
• About 90% of the surveys indicate a situation at emergency levels or above, taking into account these areas where the upper bracket of the confidence intervals stands above 15%.
• The sad history of southern Sudan makes it tempting to evaluate such figures in relative terms, compared to other years. Nonetheless, in absolute terms, all figures above clearly show an acute nutritional emergency.

It is worth restating that the nutritional situation in southern Sudan warrants considerable attention as the peace process nears its conclusion. Peace will not make malnutrition any less of en emergency.

Recommendations

It is worth restating that the nutritional situation in southern Sudan warrants considerable attention as the peace process nears its conclusion. Peace will not make malnutrition any less of en emergency.

• A maintained focus on detecting and treating acute malnutrition.
• Multisectoral approach of malnutrition, from detection to treatment of malnutrition.
• Strengthening of the local capacities to allow nutrition-skilled Sudanese to take over the nutritional surveillance activities and the treatment of malnutrition, in a long-term approach.
• Development of the Sudanese capacity to monitor the nutritional situation throughout southern Sudan while maintaining/increasing in the short term the capacity to detect and respond to nutritional emergencies.
• Consideration of nutrition as a Public Health priority for the Secretariat of Health, the emerging structures of the South Sudan Government and their financial partners in order to integrate nutrition in the policy and structuration of the Secretariat of Health. This should allow for the active participation in the building of Sudanese capacity to detect, treat and prevent malnutrition, and the better collaboration with donors and agencies involved in detection, treatment and prevention of nutrition emergencies.

Read the Full Report

• Executive Summary: ACF Nutritional Surveillance Activities, South Sudan [136KB]
• Evaluation of ACF Nutritional Surveillance Activities, South Sudan [378KB]

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Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF), an international relief and development organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children and families, provides sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. For nearly three decades, ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger by combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity.

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