Disaster risk management for health: nutrition

Disaster Risk Management for Health Fact Sheets:

This fact sheet about nutrition in disaster risk management for health is divided into four sections: i) Key points ii) Why is this important? iii) What are the health risks? iv) Risk management considerations.

Nutrition key points are: Risks of undernutrition can be managed by optimising infant and child feeding, improving food security and ensuring access to health care; Nutritional interventions can be either blanket or targeted; Scale-up and scale-down of nutritional responses should be informed by assessment of specific situations; Choosing and prioritizing nutritional interventions and nutritional products should be informed by evidence and follow latest best-practice; In developing countries, tackling high risk severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a priority, including defining SAM using new WHO growth standards; Appropriate infant and young child feeding saves lives; Multisectoral emergency response is coordinated at local and national levels.