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Sudan: Nutrition Response Update: South Sudanese Refugee Response (September 2018)

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WHITE NILE STATE

Background

Preliminary results for the Standardized Expanded Nutrition Survey (SENS) for refugee camps in White Nile State were released at the end of June, indicating critical (>15%) global acute malnutrition (GAM), with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) above emergency levels (>2%). Key drivers include ongoing food insecurity, and nutrition programme gaps related to low enrolment and treatment adherence.
The findings also point to the wider effects of chronic underfunding for the response, especially for WASH, health and livelihoods assistance. The SENS was conducted jointly by UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, State Ministry of Health (MoH), the Commission for Refugees (COR), the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) and Global Health Foundation.

Inter-agency partners are working closely together through the Refugee Working Group (RWG) in White Nile State on the planning and implementation of a comprehensive multisectoral response to improve and scale-up nutrition programming, and address gaps in health, WASH and food assistance. An inter-agency action plan has been developed. An overview of actions implemented to 31 August is described below.

Action Plan Progress

Scale-up of nutrition programming

UNICEF is leading a Find-and-Treat Campaign as an accelerated strategy to quickly identify refugee children under 5 years in need of treatment for SAM and MAM. Nutrition outreach is integrated with primary health service provision, including treatment for diarrheal diseases and other childhood illness, measles immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, and identification and referral of pregnant women for antenatal care (ANC). The campaign is planned for two rounds to stabilize the nutrition situation in the camps, with a return to routine nutrition service provision thereafter.

Nutrition partners have adopted the SENS recommendation to use a combined MUAC, oedema and Weight-for- Height (WFH-z) screening protocol to address nutrition programme enrollment gaps, which will be regularized across all camps by the end of 2018.

The first round of the campaign was completed in July by UNICEF, supported by the SMoH,
UNHCR, WFP, HAC, SRCS, MSF-Spain and RAFA. Nearly 16,700 refugee children were screened across all camps, with South Sudanese refugee community volunteers carrying out door-to-door case finding across all camps. Nearly 1,100 children were admitted for SAM and MAM treatment. Additional details on nutrition service provision as of 31 August is outlined below. UNICEF is preparing a progress report on coverage, disaggregated screening data, challenges and lessons learned from the first round to inform an updated plan and timeline for the second round of the campaign.