ABSTRACT
Both acute malnutrition and nutrition in infants under 6 months of age are important global health issues and have received much international attention over the years. However, it is only recently that the two in combination-the management of acute malnutrition in infants <6 months (MAMI)-have been examined. For several decades, it was widely assumed that acute malnutrition in infants <6 months was a minor individual-level issue, rather than a significant public health problem. In the short term, mortality is the most serious risk faced by acutely malnourished infants <6 months. Acute malnutrition has a widely recognized, well-described high case fatality rate, but infants are at particular risk. Infants <6 months are not simply mini-children; the period represents a major transition from neonatal life, and the beginnings of independence from their mother's milk as the sole source of nutrition. Malnourished infants <6 months cannot be treated with simple top-up supplementary or therapeutic feeds, as can older malnourished children.
