ANNE ROBI, 1st August 2009 @ 01:56

ABOUT 20,000 infants die every year due to poor breastfeeding in Tanzania, it was revealed in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

A Research Officer with the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC), Mr Nnally Peter said that 90 per cent of babies in Tanzania are partially breastfed with only 14 per cent being breastfed exclusively up to six months. He said such practices lead to malnutrition that contributes to infant mortality.

"According to a survey conducted in the country, feeding a baby under six months with other foods or water dilutes the immunity that the infant gets from breast milk.

It reduces the ability to fight disease," he noted.Mr Peter was speaking during the media workshop in commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week commencing today with the theme Breastfeeding a Vital Emergency Response.

He called on mothers to embark on breastfeeding the babies immediately up to six months before giving them other types of foods including water to avoid malnutrition.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Tanzania, Mr Heimo Laakkonen reiterated the need for mothers to ensure the artificial milk and other foods are provided to children after six months of delivery.

"It is important for us to be alert on this artificial feeding that may cause further health risks to children," he said adding that breast milk is a reliable and sterile food that helps to prevent illness in children.

The 2006 report indicates that good breastfeeding practices can prevent one in eight child deaths everyday. According to the experts, breast milk contains all the energy, nutrients and fluid that a baby needs for the first six months of life