Attachments
Highlights
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Results from the SMART nutrition survey conducted in December 2016 indicate that the overall national global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate is significantly higher at 4.1% increasing from 2.5% recorded in May 2016 while severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate is at 0.8% increasing from 0.5% recorded in May. Overall, four out of the seven livelihood zones surveyed are classified as registering poor nutrition status having recorded GAM rates above 5%.
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UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Health conducted a preventive mass oral cholera vaccination from 14-20 November 2016, in areas around cholera prone Lake Chilwa, targeting 90,000 fishermen and surrounding community members within 20 kilometers of the lake.
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An additional 30,967 children under 5 in the drought affected districts have received measles vaccinations since the last report in October 2016 bringing the total number of children vaccinated in 2016 to 307,450.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
6,692,114 million
People are food insecure
3.6 million
Children are food insecure
(The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) Food Security Forecast Update: 2016-2017, Bulletin No. 12/16 Volume 2)
1,244,212
Children were screened for malnutrition in November 2016
UNICEF Appeal 2016
US$22,706,669
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Results from an October update to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) report show that there are an additional 200,267 food insecure people in the districts of Kasungu and Ntcheu. The increase which is largely attributed to downward revision of production figures during the third round crop estimates released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, brings the total number of food insecure people to 6,692,114 people.
Results of the SMART Nutrition survey conducted in December 2016 indicate that the overall national Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate is significantly higher at 4.1% increasing from 2.5% recorded in May 2016 while the Severe Acute malnutrition (SAM) rate is at 0.8% increasing from 0.5% recorded in May. Overall, four out of the seven livelihood1 zones surveyed have recorded GAM rates above 5% and are thus classified as having registered poor nutrition status. The overall prevalence of diarrhoea has been estimated at 39.7% which is slightly higher than the 37.3% recorded in May. Food security indicators also show a worsening situation with 45% of the households being classified as having inadequate food consumption which is higher than the 33% recorded in May 2016.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) is leading the National Contingency Planning process which, according to this year’s forecast, will respond to a weak La Nina. The forecast indicates the possibility of normal to above normal rainfall amounts. The Southern part of the country is expected to receive normal to above normal rainfall amounts while the northern half is projected to have normal to below normal rainfall. The forecast further indicates that the areas along the Shire Valley and Lake Shore and other low lying areas are expected to experience floods while the northern half is expected to experience dry spells.