Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Chad + 2 more

Chad Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 02 | October 2015

Attachments

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Food insecurity is critical in the Sahel West with alarming malnutrition rates.

  • In Lac, insecurity is making humanitarian access difficult.

  • El Niño could have a negative impact on food security in the country.

  • Chad will attend the Paris Conference on climate change, bringing a plan for adaptation and risk mitigation.

Food insecurity and malnutrition critical in Chad’s Western Sahel

Malnutrition crisis in Western Chad

The situation is critical. According to the Nutrition Cluster, global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates are close to or exceed the emergency threshold (15%) in Chad’s western Sahel.

Following the results of the Enquête démographique et de santé à indicateurs multiples (EDS-MICS 2014), GAM rates above the 15% emergency threshold were recorded in several regions. These levels are particularly worrisome in some areas such as Lac (24.8%) and Kanem (21.3%), as shown in the graph below. The severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rates are also above the emergency threshold of 2% in almost all regions in Chad.

In Western Chad the proportion of children suffering from chronic malnutrition is the highest. Kanem is the worst affected with 64% of children suffering from global chronic malnutrition (GCM), followed by Lac (57.1%) and Bahr-El-Gazal (56.4%) according to the EDS-MICS 2014, published in early October (see chart below). Chronic malnutrition caused by micronutrient deficiency essential to health has serious consequences for children, including stunting that affects intellectual development and increases the risk of chronic diseases.

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.