Kogi State Government says the percentage of women who practice Exclusive Breastfeeding has increased from the 19% it met it on assumption of office to 32% with more efforts to scale up the number in the coming years.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Zakari Usman who said this on Saturday at a briefing to mark the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week said the state deployed mass media campaigns and advocacy by non-governmental organisations to achieve the current status.
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Exclusive Breastfeeding is the most effective way to ensure that a child’s health and survival is guaranteed, by confining a newly born baby to breast milk for a recommended period of six months, which experts say, has nutritional, mental and health benefits on the child.
According to Dr. Zakari, the mass media played important roles in keeping breastfeeding mothers up to speed with the requiste information needed on the practice.
There are mothers who believe that their desires to engage in Exclusive Breastfeeding were hindered by some invisible hands of nature competing with their jobs.
The Ministry of Health in collaboration with other development partners, embarked on a road walk across major streets of the state capital, Lokoja to sensitise women of reproductive age on the benefits of Exclusive Breastfeeding as part of activities to mark the 2022 World Breastfeeding Week.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
