Guidance
Global recommendations on the prevention and treatment of child wasting
The WHO Guideline for the Prevention and Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema
An essential element of the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting is to update and develop normative guidance to support governments on the prevention and management of wasting and nutritional oedema (acute malnutrition) in all contexts.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the lead agency at a global, regional and national level responsible for updating this normative guidance. The WHO Guideline (the 'what'), which includes evidence-based recommendations and good practice statements, will be accompanied by operational guidance (the "how to"), with documents and tools for implementation.
WHO–UNICEF Implementation Guidance on the Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (Acute Malnutrition) in Infants and Children Aged Under 5 Years in Inpatient and Outpatient Settings
The operational companion to the 2023 WHO Guideline, helping governments and implementing organizations translate evidence-based recommendations into updated national protocols.
What is New in the WHO Guideline?
The WHO Guideline for the Prevention and Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (acute malnutrition) is divided into four sections:
- Management of infants less than 6 months of age at risk of poor growth and development
- Management of infants and children 6–59 months of age with wasting and/or nutritional oedema
- Post-exit interventions after recovery from wasting and/or nutritional oedema
- Prevention of wasting and/or nutritional oedema
This is the first WHO Guideline focusing on prevention and management of wasting and nutritional oedema. It highlights the vital importance of investing in both prevention and treatment to truly have an impact on reducing the prevalence of wasting and nutritional oedema and the negative consequences of these conditions on children and families throughout the world. The WHO–UNICEF Implementation Guidance (2026) now translates the management recommendations into practical protocols, referral pathways, and clinical tools for use in inpatient and outpatient settings.
Briefing Notes and Other Resources
- The WHO–UNICEF Implementation Guidance on the Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (Acute Malnutrition) in Infants and Children Aged Under 5 Years — the operational “how to” companion to the WHO Guideline, covering identification, referral pathways, inpatient and outpatient management, and guidance for infants less than 6 months of age at risk of poor growth and development.
- An accompanying Briefing Note summarizing the recommendations and main messages from the WHO Guideline.
- A supplementary Briefing Note to better understand how the new WHO recommendations relate to the package of interventions known as "simplified approaches".
- A recording of the global webinar hosted by the Global Nutrition Cluster on the management section of the Guideline.
- A recording of the Guideline launch event, co-sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and ICAN United Kingdom as part of the United Kingdom’s Global Food Security Summit.
- A Brief Guide to Updating National Guidelines on Child Wasting, including suggestions on how to effectively update a national acute malnutrition guideline, highlighting key aspects to reflect upon at each stage of the update process.
UNICEF-WHO Technical Advisory Group for Child Wasting
Reflecting commitments under the UN Global Action Plan on Child Wasting, WHO and UNICEF have established a partnership to collaborate on:
a. Prevention, early detection and management of wasting and nutritional oedema in children by providing more up-to-date global normative and operational guidance
b. Support to national governments in adapting their national guidelines
c. Coordination of the wasting-related research agenda.
To assist in these efforts, an official UNICEF-WHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Wasting and Nutritional Oedema was formed after an open call and selection process to ensure representation predominantly from national governments, as well as civil society organizations and the research community.
The TAG is a multidisciplinary group of experts and key stakeholders with the goal of advising UNICEF and WHO on a broad range of topics and issues related to acute malnutrition to improve the delivery of care and preventative interventions for malnourished children and their families. Attention was also paid to ensure balanced geographic and gender representation as well as a diverse range of skills and experience among the membership. This TAG is jointly coordinated by UNICEF and WHO.
