The International Rescue Committee has simplified how it treats wasting as it responds to a surge in hospital admissions for child malnutrition in East Africa.
Assumpta Ndumi, IRC’s East Africa technical adviser for nutrition, told Devex that the charity had moved fast to ramp up its work in identifying and treating malnourished children in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, where it sees a huge need.
But with food shortages hitting even therapeutic products, IRC has also been pushed to adapt its treatment for wasting. It is now giving just two daily sachets of ready-to-use therapeutic foods instead of adjusting the dosage to the child’s weight. That has enabled the organization to reach more children faster and without any adverse effects, Ndumi told Devex.