ABSTRACT
Ethiopia experienced more devastating famines in the 1970s and 1980s than any other country in the world. Famine victims who were able to reach relief shelters or who were resettled by the government experienced some of the most severe forms of malnutrition and among the highest mortality rates. Increased childhood mortality was associated with high prevalence of malnutrition, living in the most arid areas, and the dry season. The prevalence and incidence of specific nutritional deficiency diseases varied among geographical areas, ecological zones, and population groups. Protein-energy malnutrition, the form of malnutrition most frequently reported during famines in Ethiopia, was usually accompanied by vitamin deficiencies. The 1984–1985 famine reveals a number of both similar and contrasting causal relationships with the 1972–1974 famine. The population has surpassed the carrying capacity of the traditional center of the Ethiopian famines-the northern highlands--and massive population resettlement has been recommended in order to rehabilitate the areas.
