At a glance: Indonesia

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Breastfeeding saves lives after earthquake disaster

=A9 UNICEF Indonesia/2006

In times of disaster, when clean water can = be=20 scarce, breastfeeding protects infants from = disease.

By Jane O'Brien

In a developing country, a child who is = breastfed is=20 almost three times more likely to survive infancy than a child who is = not=20 breastfed. World Breastfeeding Week is observed in over 120 countries by = UNICEF=20 and its partners. The aim is to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the = first=20 six months of life, which yields tremendous health benefits for=20 children.

NEW YORK, USA, 31 July 2006 =96 Breastfeeding = gives=20 children the best start in life. It protects them from diseases such as=20 diarrhoea and respiratory infections, and provides all the nutrients = that=20 newborns need to stay healthy and grow. If every child was exclusively = breastfed=20 for the first six months of life, an estimated 1.5 million young lives = would be=20 saved.

And in emergency situations, this is especially true.

When an earthquake struck Indonesia this May, hundreds of thousands = of people=20 were left homeless. Mothers struggled to feed their children and many = were given=20 supplies of formula milk. But as UNICEF=92s Emergency Nutrition Officer = in=20 Jogyakarta, Dorothy Foote, explains, that may have done more harm than = good.

=93The environment is dirty, it=92s dusty, and access to clean water = is limited.=20 Women=92s cooking facilities, where they would normally boil water and = wash their=20 dishes, are not available. People are cooking outside. Frequently people = are=20 eating from community kitchens, so there=92s a real loss of control over = the=20 cleanliness of the environment,=94 she says. =93It increases the = likelihood that=20 children will get sick from what they are consuming. And the switch to = formula=20 also reduces the amount of protection they get from the antibodies in = the breast=20 milk.=94

=A9 UNICEF Indonesia/2006

Cleaning and cooking outside can increase = the risk=20 of infants consuming contaminated food and water if they are not = being=20 breastfed.

World Breastfeeding Week 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the = International=20 Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes. It aims to protect and promote = breastfeeding by prohibiting the advertising and aggressive marketing of = substitutes.

At Bantul Hospital in central Java, UNICEF=92s Dr. Brian = Sriprihastuti has seen=20 the evidence of how it can be harmful to switch to formula milk, = particularly=20 during disasters. He says young babies are being admitted suffering from = dehydration due to diarrhoea caused by a weakened immune system or from = drinking=20 formula mixed with contaminated water.

=93UNICEF promotes giving breast milk [only] to children for the = first six=20 months of life because it has antibodies that help the imbue system, and = these=20 cannot be found in infant formula,=94 he says.

More than 80 per cent of affected households have received powder = milk since=20 the earthquake =96 double the normal consumption. Not only can that have = an=20 adverse effect on babies under six months old, it also has economic=20 implications.

Ms. Foote says that many women cannot afford formula, but their = children=20 become dependent on supplies that have been donated.

=93It will be more difficult for woman to revert back to = breastfeeding,=94 she=20 says. =93It=92s better that, instead of receiving formula, a woman is = given=20 encouragement to continue breastfeeding and receives extra food and = water=20 herself, so that she doesn=92t worry about her breast milk drying = up.

=93So we want to be able to support young mothers to continue to = breastfeed and=20 understand that this is really the best thing that they could do for = their baby=20 in adverse circumstances.=94

UNICEF has trained 100 women to be breastfeeding peer counsellors in = an=20 initiative to promote continued breastfeeding for children. They will = visit=20 mothers with infants who are particularly vulnerable to disease and will = encourage all mothers to give their babies the best start to their new=20 lives.

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Video

25 July 2006:
Suzanne Dayne reports from Pongok village, = Indonesia, where=20 UNICEF is encouraging mothers to breastfeed their babies rather than = feed them=20 formula.=20

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27 July 2006:
Sophie Boudre reports from Tegal Rejo village, = Indonesia,=20 where UNICEF is promoting continued breastfeeding
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World Breastfeeding Week

In=20 Burkina Faso, breastfeeding lowers infant mortality

Baby = pageant in Sierra Leone: A new strategy to encourage = breastfeeding

Press = release: World=20 Breastfeeding Week

Indones= ia:=20 Breastfeeding saves lives after earthquake

Phili= ppines:=20 Mothers in Philippines break record for breastfeeding

Progress=20 for Children 2006: Exclusive Breastfeeding

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World Alliance = for=20 Breastfeeding Action

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