Child malnutrition in Yemen is causing preventable deaths, especially of children under the age of five. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) responds to seasonal and annual peaks of malnutrition across the country, in Hajjah, Al-Hudaydah, Saada, and Amran governorates. These rises are usually linked to the "lean season," which is caused by the disruption of agricultural production in rural areas. This pattern was evident before the escalation of war in the country in late 2014, but the direct and indirect consequences of conflict have intensified its effects.

Rates of malnutrition usually peak in Yemen between June and September. But this year, MSF teams in several projects documented an early onset of the peak in April or May and are expecting it to continue until December. This, coupled with high numbers of severely malnourished children needing to be admitted for care, has overwhelmed MSF-supported facilities. In some locations, MSF has launched emergency interventions to respond to the surge of acute malnutrition cases and compounding health complications such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and anemia.