Breastfeeding 'can help fight undernutrition in Africa'
3 August 2009
Breastfeeding can help fight undernutrition in
impoverished areas of Africa, a charity has stated.
According to Unicef, countries such as Nigeria can
improve the health and development of their children by encouraging
mothers to breastfeed.
The country currently accounts for 12 per cent of global deaths of
children under the age of five.
Launching World Breastfeeding Week in Nigeria on Friday 31 July,
Unicef executive director Ann M Veneman said: "Breast milk offers
an excellent source of nutrition for infants and, especially where
clean water is lacking, helps keep young children safe from
dangerous water-borne illnesses like diarrhoea.
"Yet only 13 per cent of children in Nigeria are exclusively
breast fed from birth to six months of age."
The charity's World Breastfeeding Week is geared towards
sensitising policy-makers worldwide and championing the benefits of
breastfeeding.
Unicef is currently involved in the Baby Friendly Initiative,
which it began in 1992 with the support of the World Health
Organisation in order to provide a high level of support for
pregnant women and new mothers.
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