COVID-19

Over the past 50 years, the United States has been a leader in global health, reducing preventable child deaths around the world by 56%. Despite these victories, 3.1 million children die from malnutrition in an average year — more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to dramatically increase rates of malnutrition around the world, with experts predicting that pandemic-related disruptions to food and health systems could cause global malnutrition to rise by up to 50%, as well as ripple effects continuing for years to come. In many parts of the world, malnutrition related to the pandemic is projected to kill more people, especially children, than the pandemic itself.