Posted on: Fri 06-08-2021

“Initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond offer a powerful line of defence against all forms of child malnutrition, including wasting and obesity."

These are the stands of  both the Executive Director of  the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Henrietta Fore and the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General,  Dr. Tedros Adhanom  Ghebreyesus , on the occasion of the World Breastfeeding week.

In a joint statement  made available to our  correspondent in Jalingo,  Taraba state, they noted that breastfeeding  also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses."

While observing that there has been progress in breastfeeding rate in the last four decades,  the outbreak of covid-19 pandemics, according to them "highlight the fragility of those gains."

"In many countries " they said the pandemic has caused significant disruption in breastfeeding support service,  while increasing the risk of food security and malnutrition" stating that several countries have "reported that producers of baby food have compounded these risks by invoking unfounded fears that breastfeeding can transmit covid-19 and marketing their products as a safer alternative to breastfeeding. "

Piqued that in Nigeria 1 in 8 children do not reach their 5th birthday , optimal breastfeeding practice, optimal breastfeeding,  as collectively agreed by them, are known to reduce neonatal ane child morbidity and mortality rates as well as stunning reduction.  

According to them, optimal nutrition provided by breastfeeding along with nurturing , care and stimulation "strengthens a child's brain development with positive impact that endure over a lifetime .

Available statistics in Nigeria as made known by them , revealed that the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding is approximately three months and only three out of every ten children under six months of age as stated by them "were exclusively breastfed."

Sad that  the percentage of children who were breastfed within 1 hour of birth remains less than 50%,  breastfeeding rates in Nigeria, as made known by them ,reduces with age, 83% of the children are breastfed up to one year while 28% are breastfeeding till 2years, adding that the proportion of children who are not breastfeeding increases with age.

With the theme "Protect Breastfeeding: 'A Shared Responsibility ' the need to revisit the commitments made by prioritizing breastfeeding friendly environments for mothers and babies,  they believed can no longer be overemphasized.  

By Charles Akpeji  

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