• Resource Library
• Technical Resources
  • Assessment
  • Field Exchange Digest
  • General food distributions
  • Humanitarian systems
  • Infant and young child feeding in emergencies
  • Livelihoods interventions
  • Prevention and treatment of moderate acute malnutrition
  • Prevention and treatment of severe acute malnutrition
• Harmonised Training Package (HTP)
• E-learning lessons
• ENN Resources

BMS: Meeting the needs of artificial fed populations - the reality

Document type:	Case study
Year:	2003
Location:	Iraq
Topic:	Refugees
Author:	GIFA / ENN report
Date published:	January 2003

Case study from: INFANT AND YOUNG CHILD FEEDING IN EMERGENCIES GIFA/ENN PROJECT (2003)

Researchers: Mary Corbett (Evaluation of Module 1) and Marie McGrath (Collation of case studies)

Case 52
Location: Iraq
Time: 2003
Source: Anne Marie TerVeen
Issue: Meeting the needs of artificial fed populations: the reality

This is the first six months of a camp for refugees and internally displaced population - an emergency situation. The majority of mothers are not breastfeeding exclusively, and are used to receiving a distribution of infant formula for infants until the age of 12 months. Approximately 50% or mothers are illiterate and there are high rates of anemia in mothers and young children. There is a significant amount of malnutrition and infant diarrhoea. Powdered milk has been part of the routine monthly ration, but is likely to run out in the next 20 days.

People are arriving at the camps, there are Mother and Baby tents set up where they are to present. What do we do with infants 6-12 months when mothers who do not breastfeed ask for formula? The recommendations suggest formula for infants until six months but can we implement this in the immediate term, given the situation and what the population are used to? Do we say to mothers "sorry but use your own supplies of milk powder and we'll give you the micronutrient supplements to add to the milk" or do we opt for the more pragmatic option and give iron-fortified formulas (considering also high rates of anaemia) for the immediate (six months) phase of the emergency? We can then focus on the immediate factors that will influence survival of infants, e.g. water and sanitation, and build in strategies within the interventions to promote better infant feeding practice, e.g. support of exclusive breastfeeding for all newborns.

This resource appears in: Field Exchange & ENN reports, presentations

« Back