In 2005, the ENN carried out a review of the published literature for evidence of impact of humanitarian interventions specifically focussing upon emergency selective feeding programmes and general rations, vitamin A distribution, measles immunisation and insecticide bed net distributions.
The study examined five databases and found a dearth of literature on emergency feeding programmes (selective and general ration programmes).
ENN and SC UK are holding a two day workshop to develop research protocols for testing a variety of approaches to address moderate malnutrition in emergencies. The workshop arises out of the findings of the retrospective study cited below which showed limited impact of emergency supplementary feeding programmes on levels of moderate malnutrition at population level. Apart from technical experts and agency nutritionists, donors are also expected to participate in the meeting with a view to pledging commitment to support specific areas of research. The meeting will be held at the end of May at SC UK in London.
Responding to recommendations to generate more evidence of impact of specific nutrition interventions in emergencies, ENN and SC UK have just completed research to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of emergency supplementary feeding programmes (SFPs).
The report is available here (PDF, 624kb)
The Management of Acute Malnutrition in Infants (MAMI) Project is a collaborative effort between ENN, The Centre for International Health and Development (CIHD) at UCL, London and Action Contre la Faim, funded by the UNICEF-led IASC Nutrition Cluster. The challenges of dealing with acutely malnourished young infants have increasingly featured in the pages of Field Exchange. It is to comprehensively capture these field experiences and challenges and address them, that is at the heart of the MAMI project.
A presentation on the MAMI Project will feature in the Nutrition in Emergencies Working Group Meetings on Sunday 2nd March and Tuesday 4th March at the SCN meeting in Vietnam. A side-meeting will be also convened at the SCN meeting in Vietnam to go into more detail on the project. Focal points for the MAMI Project at SCN are: Jeremy Shoham (ENN) and Caroline Wilkinson (ACF).
We invite you all to contribute and participate in this collaborative effort. As part of this, we would appreciate if you could complete a short scoping questionnaire and return it to the lead researcher, Marko Kerac, email: marko.kerac@gmail.com, by 26th MARCH 2008.
We plan to form an Interagency Steering Group (IASG) and a Research Advisory Group and welcome those who would like to join. The first meeting of the IASG will be in the second half of May, likely Paris, and more information will be available at the SCN, and posted online as it becomes available.
A recent response letter by members of the MAMI steering committee to the Lancet on is now online. (register for free to access this letter and much of the Lancet content).
Kerac M, McGrath M; Shoham J, Bizouerne C, Wilkinson C, Seal A. 'Clinical signs of young infant illness and MAMI (Management of Acute Malnutrition in Infants)'. Online comment, Lancet, February 18 2008. Response to: Clinical signs that predict severe illness in children under age 2 months: a multicentre study The Lancet - Vol. 371, Number 9607, 12 January 2008, Pages 135-142.
