Qualitative Review of National Nutrition Surveillance Systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The World Food Conference in 1974 emphasized the significance of establishing global nutrition surveillance to monitor and address nutritional challenges effectively. However, many countries, especially in the EMRO region, continue to encounter substantial difficulties in regularly generating disaggregated data on nutrition. The current study aimed to review the existing nutrition surveillance systems in the region and to identify their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the challenges they face in functioning optimally. METHODS: This study focused on the functional nutrition surveillance systems in eight Arab countries; namely Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The study's analysis involved utilizing primary data collected from both published and unpublished reports. Additionally, a structured checklist was employed to gather information from all countries involved in the study. Furthermore, interviews were conducted with the EMRO offices to gain deeper insights into the challenges, if any, that these nutrition surveillance systems face in functioning optimally. RESULTS: All countries use health facilities as a basic source of data for their nutrition surveillance, some countries triangulate their nutrition surveillance reports with data from other sources of information such as community or school surveys. Identified nutrition surveillance approaches are closely split between those who operate in stable settings and use routine health information systems (Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait) and other countries that operate in fragile settings; for example, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan struggle to provide early warning reports for rapid nutritional responses. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition surveillance systems that utilize existing health information systems are the most sustained in the EMRO region. However, by integrating data from multiple sources, such as health facilities, surveys, and population censuses, countries can provide a holistic view of the nutritional situation, enhance their response to any emergency, and can leverage the infrastructure and resources already in place for health data collection and reporting. Collaboration between countries in the region through sharing experiences and success stories is important in order to reach a standardized system that can be implemented in different settings.

Maintaining Essential Nutrition Services to Underfive Children in Yemen: A Programmatic Adaptation Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that, as health services divert their attention to the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of essential nutrition services may be compromised. This impact may be more pronounced in the context of humanitarian crises, such as the one currently unfolding in Yemen. In line with Pillar 9 of the WHO's COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, this paper reports on the nutrition program adaptations in Yemen to maintain the delivery of essential nutrition services to under-five children. The process of adaptation focused on the services provided within the nutrition surveillance system (NSS), therapeutic feeding centers (TFC), and isolation units (IU). It was conducted in five steps: (1) situation analysis; (2) development of guidance documents; (3) consultation process; (4) capacity-building programs; and (5) incorporation of programmatic adaptation within nutrition services. As of September 2020, NSS, TFC, and IUs services have shifted their standard operating procedures in line with the context-specific adaptations. The process described in this paper may serve as a case-study for other countries that intend to undertake similar adaptations in their nutrition program to contribute to the implementation of the WHO response plan and maintain the delivery of essential nutrition services to children.