Infants and children 6–59 months of age with moderate wasting: evidence gaps identified during WHO guideline development

More than two-thirds of wasted children worldwide have moderate wasting, accounting for no less than 30 million children at any given time in 2024, most of whom reside in South Asia, SouthEast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 1 This population of infants and children 6–59 months old is defined by having a mid-upper-arm circumference (a measure of lean body mass) between 115 and less than 125 mm and/or a weight-for-height between 2 and 3 SDs below the median defined by the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards.2 While those with moderate wasting have a significantly lower mortality rate than those with severe wasting or nutritional oedema, their much larger population means that they still account for approximately 30%–40% of the deaths due to wasting.3