The critical need to contain the incidence of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) amongst children in India, has galvanised the formation of a new industry group in the country.The Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) Association of India has come into existence to fast-track the process of bringing acutely malnourished children out of the danger zone through promotion of Ready to use therapeutic foods (RUTF) at the community level.
According to the association, the use of therapeutic supplements as a short-term emergency measure followed by home based foods could significantly reduce the number of children requiring in-facility/hospital management. “As many as 90% of the SAM children can be treated at the community level using RUTF as an emergency measure,” said a statement from the association.
As per the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (2016-18), conducted by the UNICEF and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the prevalence of severe acute malnutrition among children is 4.9%. This means that one in every 20 children in India under five years of age suffers from SAM.
“While India has made tremendous progress on several counts, the problem of severe acute malnutrition in children shows no signs of letting up. The association is of the firm belief that usage of RUTF, based on WHO and UNICEF standards,is the most recognised way of tackling the SAM scourge head-on,” said Akshat Khandelwal, President, CMAM Association of India.