Minister Laments Decline In Breastfeeding Of Babies

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, yesterday, expressed concern over the sharp decline in the tempo of breast feeding few weeks after delivery.
Chukwu, who was represented by Mr Sani Bala, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, made the concern known in Abuja at the flag-off of the commemoration of 2013 World Breastfeeding Week.
The year’s theme is “Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers”, highlights the importance of providing support to breastfeeding families.
The minister said “this sharp decline underscores the importance of the theme which emphasises breastfeeding peer counselling as a cost effective and highly productive way of reaching large number of mothers more frequently.’’
He said that the key to best breastfeeding practice was to continue the support for mothers and communities.
Chukwu said that the country was on track for early initiation of breastfeeding within 30 minutes after delivery and the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
He added that training and community support groups through community baby-friendly initiative would increase the country’s exclusive breastfeeding rate from the current 13 per cent to 50 per cent by 2015.
“This is because the strategy has demonstrated significant contribution in the reduction of child mortality without much financial implication.’’
The minister said that more than 50 per cent mortality among children less than five years was associated with malnutrition.
He said that malnutrition before two years predisposes a child to a condition that causes irreversible physical and cognitive damage.
He urged Nigerians to support the cost effective nutrition interventions in the country.
Mr Aaron Hawkins, the Country Programme Manager, Strengthening Partnership Result and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING), a USAID-funded project, said the project would support Nigeria to scale up community-based infant and young child feeding intervention.
Hawkins said that it would be done through the training of community-based health workers and the establishment of community support groups.
The project, he added, was a five-year programme aimed at delivering high impact nutrition intervention that focuses on the first 100 days of life to improve infant and young feeding, women’s nutrition and micro nutrient deficiencies control.
Dr Andrew Mbewe, a medical officer with WHO said exclusive breastfeeding was the most effective interventions to protect children from common causes of death, including the complication from prematurity, newborn infections, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Mbewe said that people who were breastfed as babies were more likely to perform better in intelligence tests.
Our correspondent reports that the infant and young child feeding package was also launched.