RECENT NUTRITIONAL SURVEYS INDICATE
POOR TO CRITICAL NUTRITIONAL STATUS
In February and March 2003, World Vision
(WV) conducted nutrition surveys in 11 woredas in Afar, Tigray and SNNPR.
In Afar, survey results indicate that the nutritional status of children
in Assaita woreda, Zone 1 is still at a critical stage with Global Acute
Malnutrition (GAM) at 21.36%. The high rate of malnutrition is attributed
to high prevalence of different diseases during the survey and inadequate
access to food. The situation is less severe in the other two surveyed
woredas in Afar Zone 1 (Afambo: GAM= 9.98%; and Dubti: GAM= 10.33%). However,
with aggravating factors such as high mortality rate, prevalence of different
diseases during the survey and low level of income sources the situation
is considered as serious in Dubti and as poor in Afambo. In Tigray nutritional
survey results indicate that with similar aggravating factors as in Afar
such as high mortality rate, prevalence of different diseases during the
survey and low level of income sources, the nutritional status of children
in Wukro woreda, East Tigray Zone, is at a serious stage (GAM = 13.88%).
In SNNPR, Wolayita Zone is one of the areas where the situation has deteriorated
with pockets of severe acute malnutrition. WV conducts regular nutrition
surveys in Humbo woreda of Wolayita Zone, Badawacho of Hadiya and Meirab
Abaya of Gamo Gofa. Comparison of most recent survey results of February
with that of September 2002 indicate a significant deterioration in nutritional
status in Humbo from 3.1% to 12.5% GAM and has now to be defined as serious.
GAM with aggravating factors is poor in Badawacho (8.92%) and Meirab Abaya
(8.47%). According to VW reporting, causes for deterioration in Humbo are
inadequate general food rations, targeting problems with exclusion of the
most needy in some kebeles and significantly decreased livestock production
due to lack of pasture and water. In West Hararghe two nutrition surveys
were conducted by a multi-agency team from DPPC, CARE, GOAL and WFP end
of January and begin of February. These surveys are follow-ups those conducted
in the same 8 woredas in September 2002. The first survey does not indicate
a significant change in nutritional status. But the second survey does
indicate a significant reduction in Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) from
3.6% to 0.9%, though not so much in GAM from 15.2% to 11.2%. Given the
presence of several aggravating factors as a result of the current drought
situation, these results indicate a poor situation in the highlands and
wet midlands (first survey), while the situation in the dry midlands and
lowlands is serious (second survey). Causes for the reduction may be accelerated
relief food distributions and the fact that the September survey was before
harvest when food supply is short. Furthermore, the September 2002 data
did indicate a very high SAM of 3.6%, in addition to high mortality rates
(U5MR: 3.50/10,000/day). It is therefore likely that some of the severely
malnourished children in 2002 had actually died in the meantime. This argument
is supported by current under-five mortality rate of 1.96/10,000/day, which
is just below the cut-off for a 'critical' situation (2.0/10,000/day).
UNFPA STATEMENT ON THE SNNPR ASSESSMENT MISSION REPORT
In a recent UN-EUE report on an assessment mission to SNNPR: 10 - 28 February 2003, the author indicated in the last paragraph of page 14 inter alia that "Family planning education should be pursued more aggressively and it might be worth contemplating how far a system of reward and punishment could help implement family planning strategies". The UN-EUE apologizes for this statement and would like to share the following message from UNFPA: We at UNFPA wish to draw the attention of the readership of the report that as the UN agency charged with the responsibility of leading the implementation of the Program of Action (POA) adopted at the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), we promote the perspective that coercion, incentives or disincentive have no place in population and development program. The POA is a global consensus that shifted population policies and programs from top-down approach that emphasized numerical and demographic concerns to a holistic one based on human rights. This approach underscores the right of individuals and couples to make decisions on reproduction free of discrimination, coercion or violence. The POA launched a new era in dealing with population and development concerns. The challenge is for countries to enhance the ability of couples and individuals to exercise their basic right to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children, and to have the information, education and means to do so. Countries should also utilize their resources for population and development programs that expand and improve the quality of reproductive health care including family planning and sexually transmitted diseases/HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. This paradigm shift should be noted and applied by policymakers, opinion leaders, program managers, communities and all personnel of the United Nations system.
"MEASLES PLUS" VACCINATION CAMPAIGN BEGINS
The Ministry of Health, UNICEF and WHO have kicked off the emergency 'Measles Plus' Vaccination Campaign for 2003. The measles plus Vitamin A campaign has been targeted for 16.4 million children between the ages of 6 months to 14 years. But due to the limited resources now available, an initial target of 7.2 million children deemed most at risk will be vaccinated. These include children in: a) Bale, Shinile, Gurage and Silti woredas, in SNNP, Oromiya and Somali regions (target: 1,941,196 children) b) Southern Wollo, Waghimra, Arsi, Fick, Jijiga and Gode woredas (target: 3,275,250 children) c) Hadiya, Wollayta and East Shoa woredas (target Population: 1,994,785 children).