Severe Wasting

When you hear the term "wasting," only a few images come to mind. However, it'll shock you to learn that this expression doesn't only describe food, water, and other items. Severe wasting is among the fatal undernutrition types and one of the biggest dangers to children's survival.

What is Severe Wasting?

Severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition, is a life-threatening condition that many frequently ignore. It is brought on by a lack of nourishing food and frequent outbreaks of illnesses like diarrhea, measles, and malaria, which weaken a child's immune system. It is responsible for almost 1 in 5 fatalities among children under five.

In contrast to famine or hunger, severe wasting, also known as severe acute malnutrition, is a condition that affects around 13.6 million children under the age of five worldwide.

However, the war in Ukraine threatens to worsen the global food crisis because many nations primarily depend on exports from Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, there's an anticipation that the cost of life-saving ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) will rise over time, endangering even more children's lives.

What Effect Does It Have On Kids?

Common childhood infections become fatal illnesses when there is severe wasting. Because their bodies offer so little defense against the bacteria, viruses, or fungi that attack them, severely emaciated children fall victim to those infections. They pass away due to their digestive systems' inability to absorb the nourishment. The most fundamental bodily processes are all that remain of a severely wasted infant. They have to exert all of their energy merely to breathe.

How Many Youngsters Are Impacted?

Severe wasting, which kills 1 in 5 children under age 5, affects at least 13.6 million children worldwide, presenting one of the most significant hazards to a child's life. A chronically malnourished child has an 11-fold increased risk of dying from prevalent childhood infections like pneumonia, the leading infectious cause of mortality in children globally.

How to combat Severe Wasting?

In 2020, ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), was used to treat roughly 5 million children. However, the price of RUTF is increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and violent conflicts, which will probably impede the expansion of medications for wasting.

In the 15 nations most impacted by malnutrition, UNICEF has increased its efforts. An Acceleration Plan requesting US$1.2 billion includes Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, and other countries to help lessen the long-term effects of severe wasting.