Only 23 per cent of babies breast-fed

ONLY 23 per cent of Namibian babies are exclusively breast-fed during their first six months.

Moreover, Namibian mothers breastfeed on average for 16 months – eight months short of best practice.According to Petrina Haingura, the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, ‘this significantly contributes to the levels of malnutrition found among our children in the under-five age group. Our undernutrition rates in the under-five age group are of public health significance.’Haingura said that in terms of the country’s Millennium Development Goals, it is planned to reduce child mortality by two-thirds and maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. ‘It is estimated that through appropriate infant and young child feeding practices, child mortality can be reduced by as much as 13 per cent, by breastfeeding alone. Exclusive breastfeeding has been named the single most effective intervention in the reduction of child mortality.’It should however be borne in mind that the HIV-AIDS pandemic and the potential to transmit the virus from mother to child through breastfeeding poses additional challenges for good breastfeeding practices, Haingura said. ‘Also, the many mixed messages received by mothers from various sources have had unfavourable impact on both the mothers living with HIV-AIDS as well as their children.’As a result of this, exclusive breastfeeding especially during the first six months is crucial. For her part, First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba, said that the latest estimates show that 38 per cent of Namibian children between 18 and 23 months are below their ideal height. ‘This is an alarmingly high level and we need to urgently address this problem.’Pohamba also emphasised that ‘breastfeeding decreases the risk of infectious disease morbidity which in turn prevents the growth faltering associated with illness. In addition, breastfeeding is associated with a decrease in the risk of obesity and the associated health complications in latter life.’Pohamba and Haingura were speaking at the opening of the Southern Africa Regional Planning and Programming Workshop on infant and young child feeding in Windhoek yesterday.