Famine in Somalia testing advancements in coordination of care, food aid

Sep 14 2011

The Washington Post examines how high rates of malnutrition among Somali children -- approximately 36 percent under age five are malnourished and almost 16 percent are severely malnourished, according to Somalia's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit -- are "the biggest test yet of recent improvements in assessing and treating malnutrition, changes that range from the coordination of care to the ingredients of food aid." 

The article discusses how, within the past decade, refugee intake has shifted from sending every person to hospital-based care to a system of triaging people at reception centers, where they receive food, water and vaccinations, and only the most vulnerable are sent to hospital. "Food aid, like medical care, has taken dramatic steps forward in recent years," the newspaper writes, noting advancements in nutritional density and palatability (Torres, 9/12).