Nigeria has poorest exclusive breast feeding rate in Africa – Perm Sec

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, says Nigeria has the poorest
exclusive breastfeeding rate in Africa with only 17 per cent of the children being exclusively breastfed.
Awute made this known at the ministerial launch of the 2015
World Breastfeeding Week in Abuja on Monday.
Represented by Dr Bridget Okoeguale, Director Public
Health, Awute said many women fed their infants with
breast milk along with water.

“All the water the child needs is contained in the breast milk;
there is no need to give the child water or any other liquid,’’
he said.
According to him, exclusive breast feeding means that water
or other liquid is not given to the child, except oral
rehydration solution, drops or syrups of vitamins, minerals
and medicines.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that
infants be exclusively breast feed for the first six months of
life to achieve growth,’’ he said.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of
this year’s celebration is ‘Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s
make it Together’.
He stressed the need to support women to combine
breastfeeding with work whether in formal, informal or
home setting.
The permanent secretary called on the private sector to
encourage breastfeeding mothers through the provision of
crèches and breastfeeding rooms in work places and
flexible working hours for mothers.
Dr Wapada Balami, Director, Family Health Department in
the ministry, said supporting women of reproductive age in
optimal breast feeding would ensure developmental
milestone of the first 1,000 days of the child.
He added that exclusive breast feeding would prevent
irreversible damage to full potentials in the pre-school age
of the children.
According to Balami, Nigeria joined the global community to
celebrate the week which aimed at galvanising multi-
dimensional support to enable women everywhere work and
breast feed.
“It also promotes actions by employers to become baby
friendly and actively facilitates and supports employed
mothers to continue breast feeding,’’ he said. (NAN)