Commissioner Charges Mothers On Breastfeeding

Commissioner for Health,
Delta State, Dr Joseph Otumara, has charged nursing mothers in the state to be committed to exclusive breast-feeding to ensure good health of their babies.
Otumara gave the charge in a statement he released on Friday in Asaba to mark the commencement of 2014 World Breast-feeding Week in the state.
The theme of the 2014 World Breast-feeding Week celebration is, “Breast-feeding: A Winning Goal – for Life”.
Otumara, who listed the benefits of breast-feeding, said a well-breast-fed child would have a reduced risk of allergies, sudden death and enjoy protection from Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM).
According to him, the human breast milk contains all anti-infective substances, which help to reduce the risk of diarrhoea, respiratory tract and ear infections among children.
He also said that proper breast-feeding could reduce the risk of breast cancer among women, maternal blood loss in mothers after delivery as well as promote uterine contraction.
“The nation also benefits when mothers practise exclusive breast-feeding because the disposal systems would not be over-stretched by empty cans of substitute milk,” he said.
The commissioner said that poor attitude of many nursing mothers had led to the death of many children and mental impairment of hundreds of others.
He, however, observed that many nursing mothers had little or no support from their husbands and other stakeholders.
“Many children below five die from diarrhoea and other respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia, due to the use of breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles and associated poor hygiene,” he said.
He therefore advised nursing mothers and the public to fully embrace the state government’s various free health care programmes of under-five and maternal health care services.
According to him, these services are to provide the people, especially children and women, with optimum health care services.
Otumara commended donor agencies, including United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for their support towards reducing under-five maternal deaths.