Increase in acute malnutrition in children following the 2014– 2015 Ebola outbreak in rural Sierra Leone
Compares the number of children screened, diagnosed and treated for malnutrition before, during and after the outbreak
Abstract
Setting
All health facility and community malnutrition screening programmes in Tonkolili, a rural Ebola-affected district in Sierra Leone.
Objectives
Before the Ebola disease outbreak, Sierra Leone had set a goal to reduce the prevalence of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children aged < 5 years to < 0.2%. The authors compared the number of children screened, diagnosed and treated for malnutrition before, during and after the outbreak (2013–2016).
Design
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study.
Conclusion
After a decline in screening during the Ebola outbreak, diagnoses of acute malnutrition increased post-outbreak. Nutrition programmes need to be strengthened to pre-empt such effects in the event of future Ebola outbreaks.
This research was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Operational Research Capacity Building Programme led by the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union)
Citation
Kamara MH, Najjemba R, van Griensven J, Yorpoi D, Jimissa AS, Chan AK, Mishra S. Increase in acute malnutrition in children following the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak in rural Sierra Leone. Public Health Action. 2017;7(1):27–33.