Sokoto – The Commissioner for Health in Sokoto State, Dr Balarabe Kakale, on Thursday advises mothers to breastfeed babies to ensure their healthy growth.
Kakale gave the advise at a 2-day media dialogue on malnutrition organised by the Federal Ministry of Information in Sokoto.
“With breastfeeding a child can grow well, healthy and be able to fight diseases like measles, pneumonia, among others.
“It has been scientifically proven that an adequately breastfed child grows healthy and realises all his potentials.
“A stunted child, on the other hand, is a recipe for diseases and likely to die early in life.’’
He also said that stunted children had broken down immunity and vulnerable to contagious diseases, mostly leading to deaths.
The commissioner lamented that nearly 185 children in every 1000 live births in Nigeria might not live to see their fifth year due to malnutrition.
“One in every two deaths of children in the country is caused by malnutrition apart from other child-killer diseases.
“Malnutrition is the highest cause of immune deficiency and this is so in spite of the availability of nourishing foods across the nation.
He said children must be adequately breastfed for Nigeria to grow to its fullest, economically and in all respects.
“ Nutrition is the key determinant of health and without it there will be no health or development,’’ Kakale said. (NAN)
