The Standardized Expanded Nutrition Survey (SENS) 2024 was conducted in the Mirqaan Refugee Camp, located in Bokh Woreda, Doolo Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia. The camp was established in April 2023 and hosts over 52 000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily displaced by the conflict in Lascanood. The survey aimed to assess the nutritional and public health status of the camp population and to inform targeted interventions. Following the version 3 of SENS guidelines and the Standardised Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) methodology, simple random sampling was used to select households, and data was collected between January 25 and 27, 2024.
The study included modules on, among others, anthropometry, child health, infant and young child feeding (IYCF), food security (administered to a sub-sample amounting to 50 percent of total households), demography, and mortality. Results indicate a critical nutrition situation, with a Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 24.2 percent and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) prevalence of 3.8 percent, both exceeding emergency thresholds. The survey also highlights suboptimal IYCF practices, limited vaccination coverage, and gaps in preventive nutrition programming. Findings underscore the urgent need for multisectoral support to restore and strengthen nutrition and health services in the Mirqaan camp.
