Severe Wasting: An Overlooked Child Survival Emergency

This report explains how a relatively small additional investment in treatment for severe wasting could lead to an exponential reduction in child deaths from all causes. Globally, 1 in 5 deaths among children under the age of 5 is attributed to severe wasting – also known as severe acute malnutrition – making it one of the top threats to child survival, robbing the lives of more than 1 million children each year. Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) can save children with severe wasting, reaching virtually every child in need can be achieved with just US$300 million in additional funding – 0.1 percent of total overseas development assistance (ODA) spent in a year.