Addressing nutrition in emergencies
WHO Bangladesh
A father and child wait outside the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society/Japanese Red Cross (BDRCS/JRC) emergency clinic
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Addressing nutrition in emergencies

Hunger and malnutrition are rampant among refugees and displaced populations, representing currently around 40 million people worldwide, many of whom – infants, children, adolescents, adults and older people – suffer from one or more of the multiple forms of malnutrition.

Besides wasting, deficiencies of iodine, vitamin A and iron are common in emergency-affected populations. In addition, scurvy, pellagra and beriberi frequently occur in populations entirely dependent on food aid. The levels of risk of malnutrition in emergencies depends on factors such as the degree of civil security, food availability and accessibility, access to health services, and adequacy of assistance delivery.

WHO Teams

Related technical units

What WHO does in context of nutrition in emergencies

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The main thrust of WHO's nutrition work in the context of emergencies is to:

  • Provide effective technical support through the production and dissemination of scientifically validated and up-to-date:
    • guidelines, norms, criteria and methodologies relating to nutritional standards
    • information on food/ration composition
    • assessment of malnutrition including specific nutrient deficiencies
    • improved management of severe and moderate malnutrition
    • monitoring nutritional status
    • nutritional surveillance for both prevention/early warning and response when emergencies arise
  • Strengthen, through information dissemination and training, national, subnational and international capacities to meet the nutritional needs of populations in emergencies.

Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD), in collaboration with the Department of Health Action in Crises (HAC) and the six WHO regional nutrition advisors, works closely with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), NGOs, academic institutions and other concerned groups and organizations, and is an active member of the Nutrition Cluster.

Normative and standard-setting work

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WHO addresses some of the problems linked to Nutrition in emergencies through:

  • A manual on how to manage nutrition in major emergencies, intended for health and nutrition professionals, which covers estimation of energy, protein, and other nutrient requirements in a population; assessment and management of malnutrition and related health problems; general and selective feeding programmes; and human resources development.
  • The preparation of simplified field guides on determining nutrition requirements, assessing and monitoring nutritional status, and preventing and treating protein-energy malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency diseases in emergencies.
  • Technical reviews on the prevention and control of scurvy, pellagra, and thiamine deficiency, which are intended to help in the diagnosis, management and prevention of outbreaks of these deficiency disorders specifically in emergency-affected populations.
  • The preparation of guiding principles for feeding infants and young children in emergencies, which provide basic guidance for emergency-affected populations.
  • Training modules for humanitarian aid workers on infant feeding in emergencies, which are being developed together with CAH/WHO, LINKAGES, UNICEF and IBFAN.
  • The development of guiding principles for caring for the nutritionally vulnerable during emergencies.
  • Training modules for improved management of severe malnutrition for senior health workers.

Technical support and collaboration with UN partners and NGOs in emergencies

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  • Technical support is provided in emergencies to front-line UN partner organizations (UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF), other international humanitarian/relief agencies, and governments.
    • This covers nutrition in emergency and disaster-affected populations, e.g. technical guidance on:
      • nutritional standards
      • food/ration composition
      • assessment and management of malnutrition/specific nutrient deficiencies
      • monitoring nutritional status
      • nutritional surveillance for both prevention/early warning and response when emergencies arise
    • Technical support also includes development of:
      • Guidelines on food and nutritional needs in emergency situations
      • Operational guidance for emergency relief staff and policy-makers on infant feeding in emergencies
      • Guidelines on appropriate management of severe and moderate malnutrition.
  • Technical support in nutrition, in collaboration with HAC and WHO regional nutrition advisors, through participation in emergency response (joint UN assessment/monitoring/programme formulation teams) in emergency-affected areas for nutritional aspects of prevention/rapid response in emergencies.
  • Ensure optimal sustainable health and nutrition benefits of food-assisted development projects targeted to meeting the needs of the vulnerable food-insecure are promoted, particularly by ensuring the relevance and effectiveness of World Food Programme (WFP) food aid policies and programmes in both emergency and development contexts.

Publications

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Guideline: infant feeding in areas of Zika virus transmission, 2nd edition
15 June 2021

Guideline: infant feeding in areas of Zika virus transmission, 2nd edition

The objective of this guideline is to provide global, science-informed recommendations on infant feeding in areas of Zika virus transmission. The primary...

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HIV and infant feeding in emergencies: operational guidance: the duration of breastfeeding and support from health services to improve feeding practices among mothers living with HIV
25 June 2018

HIV and infant feeding in emergencies: operational guidance: the duration of breastfeeding and support...

Many millions of people around the world are affected by emergencies, the majority of whom are women and children. Among them are many who are known to...

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2 April 2016

Integrating Early Childhood Development (ECD)activities into Nutrition Programmes in Emergencies

This document is written for local and international staff running nutrition programmes in emergencies, and for local, regional and national authorities...

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Guideline: infant feeding in areas of Zika virus transmission
1 January 2016

Guideline: infant feeding in areas of Zika virus transmission

The purpose of this guideline is to provide a recommendation to guide governments, ministries of health, policy-makers and health-care workers in regions...

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Interim guideline: nutritional care of children and adults with Ebola virus disease in treatment centres
27 January 2015

Interim guideline: nutritional care of children and adults with Ebola virus disease in treatment centres

This interim guideline lays out some basic principles of optimal nutritional care for adults and paediatric patients during treatment and convalescence...

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Interim guideline: nutritional care of children and adults with Ebola virus disease in treatment centres: key recommendations
12 December 2014

Interim guideline: nutritional care of children and adults with Ebola virus disease in treatment centres:...

These key recommendations serve as a quick reference guide to the WHO/UNICEF/WFP interim guideline on nutritional support to adults and paediatric patients...

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FAO/WHO guide for developing and improving national food recall systems
10 December 2012

FAO/WHO guide for developing and improving national food recall systems

Food recall is a fundamental tool in the management of risks in response to food safety events and emergencies. Some countries are still in need of an...

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FAO/WHO framework for developing national food safety emergency response plans
10 December 2010

FAO/WHO framework for developing national food safety emergency response plans

Many member states have requested that FAO and WHO provide technical assistance in the development of food safety emergency response plans. Reinforcing...

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