Chief Nutritionist of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Mr Arjan de WAGT has said that 13 per cent of child deaths can be averted if 90 per cent of mothers breastfeed exclusively.
WAGT said this at a two-day media dialogue on Nutrition and Community Management of Acute Malnutrition in Kano.
He said “13 per cent of child deaths can be averted if 90 per cent of mothers exclusively breast fed their infants for the first six months of life.
“Breast milk is uncontaminated and contains all the nutrients needed by children.
“The life of a child can be saved by prevention, treatment of diseases and de-worming because worms causes stunted growth that eventually leads to death.”
He added that only 17 per cent of children are exclusively breast fed in Nigeria.