Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) carried out in 2013 has indicated that only 9 per cent of nursing mothers in Abuja, the nation’s capital breastfeed their babies for the first six months, ranking the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the lowest in the country.
Dr. Rilwan Mohammed, the Executive Secretary of FCT Primary Health Care Development Board, stated this on Thursday in Abuja. He said the figure was low due to the high class nursing mothers in the Capital territory.
Briefing journalists to flag-off this year’s breast feeding week, with the theme ‘Breast feeding week is a winning goal for life,’ Mohammed stressed that breast milk contains all the nutrients including large percentage of water that babies need for optimal growth from 0-6 months of life.
He admonished men in the FCT to support their wives to breast feed exclusively for six months, adding that from the survey, total breast feeding rate in the country stands at 17 per cent as against 13 per cent in 2012.
While lamenting that the development accounts for the severe malnutrition among infants, he blamed most nursing mothers in the FCT saying that they excuse exclusive breast feeding simply because they don’t want their breasts to sag.
Mohammed said malnutrition is responsible for at least, 35 per cent child mortality of less than 5 years of age.
According to him, the infant mortality rate is 100 deaths per 1000 live births but decreased to 75 deaths per 1000 live births in the 2008 NDHS.
However, he stated that the figure has further decreased to 69 deaths per 1000 live births, adding that the survey revealed that maternal rate has risen to 576 per 100,000 live births from the 545 per 100,000 live births in 2008.
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