By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Borno State First Lady, Dr. Falmata Zulum has lamented over the low rate of breastfeeding among women in the state, adding that the Boko Haram insurgency has been a major threat to the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding in communities across the state.
Dr. Zulum also noted that the insurgency has disrupted the chain of support accorded to breastfeeding as communities were displaced and health facilities destroyed since the inception of the insurgency in 2009.
The first lady, who was represented by the Borno State Commissioner of Women Affair’s and Social Development, Hon. Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo stated this on Tuesday at the flag off of the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week in Maiduguri.
She said the theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week: “Step up for Breastfeeding, Educate and Support”, is apt and aligned with the UN SDGs which is aimed at bringing more people and organizations on board to link breastfeeding to all the major development agenda was apt.
Dr. Zulum explained that World Breastfeeding Week enables “stakeholders at the state level to evaluate our progress towards the protection , promotion and support of breastfeeding across the state”.
According to her, “with support from development partners, health service providers have also received trainings to optimize their capacity to support the populace while disclosing that recent North East Nutrition and Food Security Surveillance Survey shows that Exclusive Breastfeeding rate for Borno state is now 58.9%.
“This doubles the NDHS2018 national average of 29% representing considerable progress for the state, yet, early initiation of breastfeeding a major determinant of exclusive breastfeeding remains at 44.4% translating to only two out of every five babies being breastfed immediately after birth”.
“This critical gap must be addressed to achieve the states goal of 100% Exclusive Breastfeeding rate as mothers, home deliveries and infants need support and care from family to initiate and continue breastfeeding”. She said.
On his part, The Borno State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Professor Mohammed Arab Alhaji, urged the media to collaborate with the health stakeholders in the campaigns on the significance of exclusive breastfeeding.
He noted that in line with the policy actions advocated by the WHO-UNICEF-led Global Breastfeeding Collective, there is the need for all partners to invest comprehensively on breastfeeding programmes, counselling and support for women in health facilities and the communities.
Professor Alhaji also called for an end in the promotion of breast-milk subtitles to enable parents to make informed decisions on the best way to feed their infants.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.