Amlan, Negros Oriental – The Municipal Nutrition Committee of Amlan thru the Rural Health Unit capacitates its health and nutrition workers on the management of acute malnutrition. The orientation on the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM) was held on 27 June 2022 at the Amlan People Center, Poblacion, Amlan, Negros Oriental. Participants were all the rural health unit nurses, midwives, barangay nutrition scholars, and municipal health officers.
The Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM) is s one of the core lifesaving interventions to address severe and moderate acute malnutrition. This is intended to be used in emergency, recovery and normal situations implemented by health and nutrition care providers (doctors, nurses, and program staff) working at all facility levels of health and nutrition service provision.
Acute malnutrition is sudden wasting and/or edema from a combination of insufficient food intake, repeated infection, and inappropriate childcare practices. It can be detected by inadequate weight for height/length, muscle wasting, and/or bilateral pitting edema. Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are 9-12 times more like to die than well-nourished kids while children with moderate acute malnutrition is 3-4 times at risk.
The orientation aims to equip the health and nutrition front liners with knowledge on MAM and SAM active case finding and its rehabilitation through Ready-to-use Supplementary Food (RUSF) and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Ms. Lyneth Anne A. Amahit, Negros Oriental’s Information Management Officer served as the resource speaker. The orientation covered the topics Introduction to PIMAM, Identification of Acute Malnutrition and Community Mobilization and Management of SAM and MAM.
Based on the Operation Timbang Plus 2022, the prevalence of wasting in the municipality has decreased from 4.6% to 2.6%. However, they are not going to stop there. Amlan will continue to conquer the battle against acute malnutrition and continue to save lives. //ND II Shaira Vita A. Calumpang, RND
