Madagascar is one of the world's poorest countries and our teams are seeing alarming rates of malnutrition as many struggle to survive a food crisis exacerbated by poverty, lean season and the impact of recent cyclones. In December, a mass screening of children under 5 by MSF; the Ministry of Public Health; and UNICEF revealed that almost 5% of children under 5 in Madagascar's southern Ikongo district - around 1,658 children - had severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and in the same district between January and February our teams treated over 2,000 children with SAM. Recent severe weather events, including February's Cyclone Freddy which destroyed crops and homes are making the situation worse.
80% of the population live at the poverty line and 80% of the population live in rural areas making access to healthcare a challenge for many communities. Poor infrastructure and heavy rains are also exacerbating access issues which teams are trying to overcome through the rollout of mobile clinics.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for East Southern Africa and Madagascar, there are observed and projected increases in heavy rains and flooding. There is a projected increase of average tropical cyclone wind speeds, heavy rains and an increase in the proportion of category 4-5 tropical cyclones.