Submitted by crinadmin on
[7 August 2008] - The Tanzanian government has been urged to accelerate the process of appraising the National Regulations for Breast-milk substitutes into law. The call was made in Dar es Salaam by UNICEF representative in Tanzania, Heimo Laakkonen, in a speech read by Dr Abdulai Tinorgah at a news conference. The press conference was held to mark the World Breast-feeding Week. "If the government will enforce this regulation, it will provide much needed impetus in our efforts to promote exclusive breast-feeding," he said. He was optimistic that if changed into law, the regulations would help the country counter false and misleading markets that seek to position infant and young child milk products, as equivalent to breast milk. "Over 9800 neonatal deaths per year could be prevented in Tanzania if all newborns are breastfed within an hour of birth. This would be a huge step in efforts to reduce child mortality and achieving the Millennium Development Goal of a two-thirds reduction on child mortality,`` said Laakkonen. He noted that diarrhea and acute respiratory infections are the major killer to children and research shows that breastfeeding can reduce the number of deaths if breastfeeding will be well, particularly done to children. He said that breastfeeding also contributes to the health of mothers, and creates a bong between the mother and the child. "Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the child`s life ranks among the most effective interventions for improving child survival and health. Mothers elsewhere should have the sense of pride in breastfeeding," he insisted. The UNICEF representative also urged that although breastfeeding is common practice by many mothers, especially in rural communities, women should need to be encouraged to start breastfeeding immediately after the delivery and continue with doing so exclusively for the first six months of the child\'s life. "In order to achieve this, concerted efforts are required at the household community level, in health facilities and at work places. World Heath Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF recommend that from six months on, the child should be given complimentary foods with continued breastfeeding for up to 24 months of age and beyond,` he said. He said that although exclusive breastfeeding is encouraged in health facilities in the country, records show that only 37 per cent of hospitals providing maternity services are certified as baby-friendly. Further information
pdf: http://ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2008/08/07/120071.html