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HIV positive mothers' mixed feeding dangerous for children: UN official

Xinhua, October 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) official said here that breastfeeding mothers who are HIV positive should not practice mixed feeding because it is dangerous for children.

UNICEF country representative for Namibia Micaela Marques de Sousa made the warning Wednesday during the official opening of a training workshop organized by the Namibia Network of AIDS Services Organizations.

Mixed feeding is where a mother breastfeeds a child while at the same time giving them other solid food stuff.

De Sousa said it is common practice in Namibia for mothers to give their children aged between one and six months other foods besides breast milk.

Experts have attributed the prevalent stunted growth in Namibian children to mixed feeding.

According to the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey said that one in every four children aged under four in Namibia are stunted. The survey also said one in every seven is underweight and one in 15 is wasted.

UNAIDS figures for last year show that Namibia has about 280,000 people with HIV and that close to 150,000 are women aged 15 and above.

The three-day training workshop seeks to training the media on how to report on HIV issues among others. It also seeks to highlight the importance of breastfeeding. Endit