Health and nutrition experts in Zimbabwe are worried that one of the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates in the region could have a negative impact on the country’s prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) program.
Just six percent of mothers exclusively breastfeed their child for the first six months, according to the recent Zimbabwe National Nutrition Survey carried out by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with the Zimbabwe Food and Nutrition Council, and other partners.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants born to HIV-positive women be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, which not only helps safeguard their nutritional status but also significantly reduces their chances of contracting HIV.
Studies in South Africa have shown that babies born to HIV-positive women who are fed solids as well as their mother’s milk are almost 11 times more likely to contact HIV than those who are exclusively breastfed.
In keeping with the WHO guidelines, HIV-positive mothers in Zimbabwe are encouraged to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months.
Although Zimbabwean national health surveys in 2005 and 2009 put the figure for exclusively breastfeeding at closer to 25 percent, UNICEF spokesperson Tsitsi Singizi said the nutrition survey used a different and more accurate methodology.
It also found that at least one-third of Zimbabwean children under the age of five were malnourished, with around 12,000 at risk of dying from poor nutrition. The survey associated these widespread nutritional problems in children with the low rate of exclusive breastfeeding.
Read more of the story here at the IRIN news service:
ZIMBABWE: Low breastfeeding rates threaten PMTCT efforts
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