All emergency thresholds for acute malnutrition have been reached and MSF is calling for an immediate, coordinated and rapid scale-up of the humanitarian response in order to save lives.
The action of UN agencies and international NGOs – who have maintained only a limited presence in North Darfur since they evacuated in April – is vital for achieving this. Food and cash distributions are urgently required. Healthcare and water and sanitation provision are also vital.
Almost a quarter of children screened during the assessment were found to be acutely malnourished, with seven per cent having severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Among children aged six months to two years old, the figures were even more stark with nearly 40 per cent of this age group malnourished – 15 per cent with SAM.
The emergency threshold for moderate and severe acute malnutrition combined (the Global Acute Malnutrition rate - GAM), which indicates that urgent action must be taken, is 15 per cent – making it clear that a serious emergency situation is present in Zamzam camp.