Image: UNICEF
Malawi joins the rest of the world in celebrating 2024 World Breast Feeding Week from 1 to 7 August, aimed at promoting and supporting breastfeeding among women.
Maziko Matemba, a health rights activist, said that breast feeding not only provides nutrients but also promotes psychological bond between the child and the mother through that skin to skin contact and the closeness.
George Jobe, Executive Director of the Malawi Health Equity Network, noted that some babies may experience digestive issues, such as constipation and gas, from formula feeding and has also been linked to higher risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart diseases later in life.
WHO recommends that children be introduced to breast feeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS-2019-2020) shows that only 6 of 10 infants are breastfed within the first hour of life in Malawi, leaving them more vulnerable to diseases and death.
By Alufisha Fischer
