Outdated mortality benchmarks risk missing early signs of famine and delay recognizing mass starvation
Medical Xpress
February 13, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Recent global crises have highlighted the limitations of using a universal mortality threshold to declare famine, potentially overlooking early warning signs and delaying responses to mass starvation. A study published in *The Lancet* by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health challenges this approach, emphasizing that one-size-fits-all benchmarks fail to account for how famine unfolds differently across diverse populations.
For decades, the international community has relied on a fixed mortality rate—such as 1 death per 10,000 people per month—to classify a situation as a famine. However, this method has been criticized for being too rigid and context-blind. For instance, during past famines in regions like Yemen and Ethiopia, early warning signs were often missed because local conditions, such as conflict, economic collapse, or limited healthcare access, didn’t align perfectly with the universal threshold.
The researchers argue that adopting a more flexible, population-specific approach is critical to detecting famine earlier and saving lives. They propose redefining famine thresholds based on factors like pre-existing malnutrition rates, access to healthcare, and displacement
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Originally published on Medical Xpress on 2/13/2026