Trialling a multi-MUAC tape to screen at-risk infants under six months in East Africa

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Trialling a multi-MUAC tape to screen at-risk infants under six months in East Africa

What we know: There is building evidence that mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) is a reliable tool and a good predictor of mortality in infants aged under six months (Hoehn et al, 2021). However, practitioners have faced challenges in accessing and producing tapes for research and programming.

What this adds: Operational pilots, by IMA World Health-led USAID MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience, GOAL, and Save the Children, of a prototype multi-MUAC tape found that healthcare workers (HWs) and caregivers in Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan could effectively and feasibly use it to screen infants under six months of age. Recommendations for design improvements and contextual influences have informed an updated World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF MUAC tape for women and infants (aged six weeks to six months), which is now available from UNICEF regional and country offices.

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