By Uji Abdullahi Iliyasu
United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement signed by it’s Executive Director Henrieta Fore and World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said one out of eight children in Nigeria dies before fifth birthday.
They stated this Sunday on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week. “In Nigeria, where 1 in 8 children do not reach their 5th birthday and 3 in 10 children are stunted, optimal breastfeeding practices are known to reduce neonatal and child morbidities and mortality rates as well as stunting reduction,” the statement reads in part.
They said at the start of this year, governments, donors, civil society and the private sector united to launch the Nutrition for Growth Year of Action. The Year of Action is a historic opportunity to transform the way the world tackles the global commitment to eliminate child malnutrition, which
breastfeeding is central to its realisation.
They stressed that breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuous breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond offer a powerful line of defence against all forms of child malnutrition, including wasting and obesity, adding that it also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses.
The two world bodies lamented that Covid-19 scourge has worsened breast feeding issues.
According to them, “While there has been progress in breastfeeding rates in the last four decades – with a 50 per cent increase in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding globally – the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the fragility of those gains.
“In many countries, the pandemic has caused significant disruptions in breastfeeding support services, while increasing the risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.”
They further revealed that several countries have reported that producers of baby foods have compounded these risks by invoking unfounded fears that breastfeeding can transmit COVID-19 and marketing their products as a safer alternative to breastfeeding, but optimal nutrition provided by breastfeeding along with nurturing, care, and stimulation strengthens a child’s brain development with positive impacts that endure over a lifetime.
“Available statistics in Nigeria reveal that the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding is approximately 3 months and only 3 out of every 10 children under 6 months of age were exclusively breastfed (29%),”…
