Despite modest progress in some areas, maternal and child undernutrition remains a major global health concern. The Lancet series emphasizes the importance of delivering nutrition interventions within the first 1,000 days of life, but highlights that program delivery has lagged behind the science.
Interventions promoting nurturing care may cost as little as 50 cents per child per year, with potential benefits including improved developmental outcomes and adult health. Scaling-up support is critical to reaching millions of children under 5 in low- and middle-income countries.
Research finds that breastfeeding can add billions to the global economy by preventing child deaths and improving cognitive abilities. Globally, improved breastfeeding rates could prevent 820,000 child deaths annually and save over $2.45 billion in treatment costs.
Kent Campbell, PATH's Malaria Control Program director, received the LePrince Medal for his work on controlling malaria in Africa. Through his leadership, more than one million child deaths have been prevented, and Zambia became the first country to achieve high coverage with malaria control tools.
The organization aims to address the crisis of open defecation and promote sustainable behavior change among rural households, benefiting 1.7 million people in Vietnam and Cambodia. East Meets West's results-based approach requires an initial investment from recipient families and rewards them when results are achieved.