UNICEF calls for exclusive breastfeeding in South Sudan
August 8, 2009 (JUBA) – UN children body UICEF has called on health professionals, civil society organizations, community members in southern Sudan, and the media to encourage mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies until they are six months of age, and to continue breastfeeding up to two years, or beyond.
Despite the fact that breastfeeding is a vital means for reducing infant malnutrition, 41 per cent of Southern Sudanese mothers do not exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months, according to the 2006 Sudan Household Health Survey.
The survey also found that 21.9 per cent of under five-year-olds in Southern Sudan have moderate to severe malnutrition, a situation that could be addressed in a significant way by exclusive breastfeeding.
Event in industrial world the doctors and experts encourage breastfeeding saying both babies and mothers gain many benefits from breastfeeding. Breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of certain breast and ovarian cancers.
“The role of exclusive breastfeeding as a child survival strategy cannot be underestimated,” said Peter Crowley, Director of Operations for UNICEF’s Southern Sudan Area Programme. “Breastfeeding, particularly during the first six months of a child’s life, has a bigger beneficial impact on a child’s survival and development than anything else,” he said.
The theme of World Breastfeeding Week 2009 this year is: ‘Breastfeeding, a Vital Emergency Response: Are You Ready?’ During the week of August 1-7, UNICEF will highlight the role that breastfeeding can play in protecting infants from malnutrition and illnesses during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Helping mothers and community members understand and take advantage of these benefits is a key role and responsibility of health professionals.
(ST)
Deng
UNICEF calls for exclusive breastfeeding in South Sudan
These NGOs should stop telling African what to do. they have no right to talk about this privaate thing such as breast feeding. Southern Sudanese women do breastfeed their children more than that. I don’t know where does these NGOS come up with their baseless research. They should think twice before they making researchs. Also they should see the rate of breast cancer in southern Sudan, if they think southern sudanese women does not breast feed their children. Many women in western world don’t even breastfeed their children but there haven’t been such critcism but when it is African countries they ega to giveout their hardtime to these innocent people, this criticism is not here in western world. our leaders should notalways afraid of NGOS because they are just businessmen. If we refused to allowed them then they will go.Inaddition our leaders should have learnt from what NGOs did in libya by infecting 3000 children with HIV/Aids while they were in libya to assist children but they went to different business of infecting the future leaders of Africa.