Mothers advised on exclusive breastfeeding
SAVE The Children
International in
collaboration with Lagos
State government and
Reckitt-Benkiser (RB) have
called on the private sector
to join in the campaign of
mothers breastfeeding their
babies exclusively for six
months without any
addition.
According to the
Campaign &
Mobilisation
Cordinator, Save the
Children International,
Oluwakemi Adeyanju,
at the 2015 World
Breastfeeding Week
Campaign that took
place at Shomolu Local
Government, Onipanu,
the call was in line
with the World Health
Organisation (WHO),
which recommends
that infants should be
exclusively breastfed
for the first six months
of life to achieve
optimal growth,
development and
health.
“Nigeria is the 9th
worst place in the
world to grow up as a
child. One in every
eight children born
today in Nigeria will
not reach their fifth
birthday, which means
that 850,000 children
under the age of five
die every year. The
three main killers of
children in the world
cause more than half
of these deaths:
diarrhea, pneumonia
and malaria.
“In Lagos, the under-
five mortality rate is
65/1,000 live births
(lower than the South-
West regional average
of 83/1000), which is
equivalent to 6 percent
of the total number of
under five deaths
nationally.” She said
recent research blamed
reasons for not
breastfeeding on death
or ill-health of the
mother.
International in
collaboration with Lagos
State government and
Reckitt-Benkiser (RB) have
called on the private sector
to join in the campaign of
mothers breastfeeding their
babies exclusively for six
months without any
addition.
According to the
Campaign &
Mobilisation
Cordinator, Save the
Children International,
Oluwakemi Adeyanju,
at the 2015 World
Breastfeeding Week
Campaign that took
place at Shomolu Local
Government, Onipanu,
the call was in line
with the World Health
Organisation (WHO),
which recommends
that infants should be
exclusively breastfed
for the first six months
of life to achieve
optimal growth,
development and
health.
“Nigeria is the 9th
worst place in the
world to grow up as a
child. One in every
eight children born
today in Nigeria will
not reach their fifth
birthday, which means
that 850,000 children
under the age of five
die every year. The
three main killers of
children in the world
cause more than half
of these deaths:
diarrhea, pneumonia
and malaria.
“In Lagos, the under-
five mortality rate is
65/1,000 live births
(lower than the South-
West regional average
of 83/1000), which is
equivalent to 6 percent
of the total number of
under five deaths
nationally.” She said
recent research blamed
reasons for not
breastfeeding on death
or ill-health of the
mother.
