United Nations Children’s Fund Chief Nutritionist, Arjan De Wagt has said that 55 per cent of child mortality in Nigeria is associated with malnutrition.
Wagt said this while speaking at the 2-day Media Dialogue on Child Malnutrition, themed: “Spend more money on nutrition, stop child malnutrition in Nigeria” organized by the United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Child Rights Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Information in Calabar.
He urged mothers to embrace exclusive breastfeeding because it has the potential to save more lives than any other method of preventing malnutrition.
He noted that 13 per cent of child deaths could be averted if 90 per cent of mothers exclusively breastfed their infants for the first six months of life.
Deputy Director and Head of Nutrition, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Osa Isokponwu also added that mothers shouldn’t rely on foreign foods to complement their children’s diet. He said they should focus their attention on traditional foods that are tested and trusted for consumption in the country.