Screening and Treatment of Malnutrition
The war has led to continued deterioration in health services and the destruction of health facilities, leaving young children, pregnant women, and new mothers extremely vulnerable. In 2015, UOSSM began implementing nutrition services at all UOSSM primary health care centers and mobile clinics throughout Syria in response to the emergence of malnutrition cases.
According to a recent survey conducted by Save the Children, 65% of Syrian children “have not had an apple, an orange, or a banana for at least three months.” According to ReliefWeb International in the “Hidden Hunger in Syria” report, at least 1 in 8 children, or 500,000, currently suffer from chronic malnutrition or stunting. Source: Save the Children. Sep 2020.
Many malnutrition cases that required intervention were diagnosed with the help of UOSSM mobile community health teams and nutrition technicians in primary health care centers and mobile clinics. Rapid response is crucial in preventing the transition from moderate to severe malnutrition, which can lead to additional complications and premature death. UOSSM has high recovery rates in patients that receive treatment, both for moderate and severe malnutrition.
Community Health Program
UOSSM began implementing the community health program in 2015 given the urgent need to link primary health care facilities strongly with communities to ensure appropriate responses to health needs on the ground and facilitate early detection of health problems in society.
The role of community health teams is vital in raising health awareness and educating parents about the importance of follow-up treatment. These efforts are a key component of health teams’ mission – around 40 percent of all community health services involve infant and young child feeding skills. In addition to assisting with malnutrition cases, teams report vital information about community health status to medical centers, including evidence of disease outbreaks. Teams provide referral services for the treatment of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. These health workers visit communities to ensure medical issues are quickly identified and addressed, helping beneficiaries detect underlying health problems so they may receive immediate care.
Screening and Treatment of Malnutrition
Each team consists of two community health workers, who carry out activities through regular field visits to beneficiaries in their homes or displacement camps. They work according to the following protocols:
- Infant and young child feeding skills (IYCF) in coordination with nutrition techniques
- Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program in coordination with nutrition techniques
- Reproductive Health
- Non‐Communicable Diseases
- Communicable Diseases
- Integrated management of childhood illnesses
Community health teams raise health awareness in local communities and reduce pressure on health care facilities by providing advice in situations not needing a referral to a health center. They also mitigate exacerbation of health conditions with early-stage detection and treatment.
In 2019, community health workers conducted surveys to detect malnutrition cases, outreach cases for chronic diseases and epidemics, and referral services for primary health care centers.154,500 community health services were provided through community health teams in 2019.
UOSSM administered a survey of children aged 6-59 months and pregnant/nursing women in all projects. This survey revealed many malnutrition cases diagnosed as “severely” and “moderately” acute, requiring therapeutic intervention and Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program application.
5,583 cases of severe and moderate acute of malnutrition were found among children under five years of age and in pregnant/lactating women, including 630 severe acute malnutrition, and 3,580 moderate acute malnutrition.
Malnutrition interventions in UOSSM-affiliated PHC facilities achieved Cure Rates of 33% of moderate and 29% of severe acute malnutrition cases. This intervention resulted in recovery and prevented development of accompanying complications and potential patient death. A common cause in cases that do not heal is the constant movement due to displacement and change in accommodation of beneficiaries. Lack of parental response and treatment completion are other reasons.
Community health teams play a critical role in raising health awareness and educating parents about completing follow-up treatment and the danger of neglecting visits to health facilities.
Humanitarian Lifesaving Nutrition Aid Proactive Measures to Improve Health And Prevent Malnutrition
The situation continues to be dire in areas of displacement and other areas of need in northwest Syria. Many of the families have been displaced several times and suffer from emotional stress. Malnutrition cases are on the rise and inflation in the cost of food is further complicating the situation and making it even more difficult for people to find their next meal. Many struggles financially to even buy a loaf of bread. Women and children are the most vulnerable as they are 75% of the displaced population.
In 2020, the threat of COVID-19 arose. The Syrian displaced communities are among the most vulnerable from the coronavirus. With no option to social distance, a shortage of medical supplies, equipment and PPE, and no access to clean water and soap, UOSSM became extremely concerned with the well-being of the people. The UOSSM office in Turkey wanted to take proactive measures by strengthening the immunity of Syrian families and thus began distributing nutritious food to displaced families. Through October 2020, UOSSM has distributed over 5000 nutritious food baskets to over 5000 families. Each nutritious food basket contains nutritious food essentials for a family of five for a full month. The goal of the distribution of the nutritious food is to improve their health, prevent malnutrition, and boost their immunity during COVID-19 in hopes of warding off the spread of the coronavirus.
