Key Highlights
• Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates among children remain in the second-highest category (‘’High”) with an upper confidence level of >15%, representing “Emergency thresholds”.
• Chronic malnutrition among children was found to be above the Very High/Critical WHO/UNICEF threshold of ≥30%.
• Anaemia in children 6-59 months and non-pregnant women remains a public health concern (>40%).
• Low wasting prevalence (<2.0%) was found among women of reproductive age and pregnant and lactating women with a significant reduction since 2017 (as per Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) criteria).
• Younger children (6-23 months) were more malnourished, and anaemic compared to older children (24-59 months), but the stunting rate was high among the latter group.
• The status of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) varied with both optimal and sub-optimal levels across all camps.
• Crude and under-five mortality rates are well below emergency levels.
• Measles, Vitamin A, and deworming rates were within camp targets of >90% and >95% except in Kutupalong Mega Camp.
• Ownership and utilization of mosquito nets was high (>90%), but ownership and use of treated nets were below the expected targets of >80%.
• Food assistance, complemented by cooking fuel, was found to be universal at 100% except in the Kutupalong Registered Camp. However, selling of food assistance to cover other essential needs remains a challenge, although the rate of re-selling has continued to decrease each year.
• Water quality and quantity are optimal, but sanitation continues to be an issue with unsafe disposal of child stools and wider environmental factors, especially drainage in the camps.