The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO0 have faulted the low rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria.
This as the world mark’s this year’s World Breastfeeding Week.
The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) puts Nigeria’s exclusive breastfeeding rate at 29 per cent.
UNICEF and WHO said the 29 per cent still falls significantly below the target of 50 per cent set by the World Health Assembly to be achieved in 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target for 2030.
The Executive Director of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore and the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, released a joint statement to mark the World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated globally in the first week of August with the theme: ‘Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility’.
They said, “While there has been a 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 In many countries, the pandemic has caused significant disruptions in breastfeeding support services, while increasing the risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.
“Breastfeeding rates in Nigeria reduced with age – 83 per cent of the children are breastfed up to one year, while 28 per cent are breastfeeding till two years. It was shown that the proportion of children who are not breastfeeding increases with age.
“This year’s World Breastfeeding Week, under its theme ‘Protect Breastfeeding: A Shared Responsibility is a time to revisit the commitments made at the start of this year by prioritising breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies.
“Ensuring health care workers have the resources and information they need to effectively support mothers to breastfeed, including through global efforts such as the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, and guidelines on breastfeeding counselling.
“Ensuring employers allow women the time and space they need to breastfeed; including paid parental leave with longer maternity leave; safe places for breastfeeding in the workplace; access to affordable and good-quality childcare; and universal child benefits and adequate wages.”
