Feeding of infants and young children in tsunami affected villages in Pondicherry [India]
| Document type: | Article |
| Year: | 2004 |
| Location: | Pondicherry, India |
| Topic: | Tsunami |
| Author: | Adhisivam, Srinivasan, Soudarssanane, Deepa. Indian Pediatr |
| Date published: | August 2006 |
Feeding of infants and young children in tsunami affected villages in Pondicherry [India]. Adhisivam B, Srinivasan S, Soudarssanane MB, Deepa. Indian Pediatr. 2006 Aug;43(8):724-7
www.indianpediatrics.net/aug2006/724.pdf
A survey on the response to the tsunami in Tamil Nedu, where Nestlé formula was routinely distributed by NGOs, found that "64% NGOs, 76% social workers, 32% paramedical staff and 87% victims" were unaware of the importance of breastfeeding in emergency situations.
Studied 100 families found increase in form feeding and related increase in diarrhoea. The occurrence of diarrhea was three times higher among children who were fed with free breast milk substitutes (BMS) than in those who were not fed with the same.
The article is summarised in Field Exchange 29. The postscript provides further insight into what happened on the ground and should be read along with the article.
Key messages:
- Where a pre-existing tradition of artificial feeding is present, infants may be more at risk in a crisis situation.
- Breast feeding practices need strengthening even in routine conditions to tackle a disaster rather than intervention after the disaster.
This resource appears in: Research
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