An investment framework for the treatment of severe wasting

Wasting (low weight-for-height) occurs when children lose weight rapidly, generally from low caloric intake and/or repeated infections; it is an indicator of acute undernutrition. In 2012, the World Health Assembly agreed to a global target to reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5 percent by 2025 (WHO 2012); this target was incorporated into Sustainable Development Goal 2 (United Nations 2015a). The target focuses on reducing the prevalence of wasting and, consequently, on preventing and treating wasting. However, to date, evidence of how to prevent wasting is limited and inconclusive, making it impossible to estimate the costs of reaching the global wasting target. In order to reach the target, effective strategies are needed to treat current cases and to prevent future cases of wasting.