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Breast-feeding week was observed this week in Burundi, aimed at educating women towards exclusively breast-feeding their offspring for at least six months after birth in order to strengthen their immune systems.
The proportion of mothers breast-feeding their babies in Burundi has dropped in recent years from 85-90 percent to 70 percent, due mainly to the adoption of Western attitudes, according to a UNICEF official in the Burundi capital, Bujumbura.
The drop has also been documented in rural areas, where some mothers prefer to feed their babies on artificial milk, despite the risk of contaminating them with bacteria from unsanitary utensils.
Health officials also pinpoint working mothers who no longer have time to breast-feed their children, and western media messages that "small breasts are beautiful".
It is believed that after six months, a child has almost all the enzymes it needs to successfully digest food. During the child's first six months, mothers are urged to feed their babies on nothing other than breast-milk.
Those who opt to feed their children artificial milk are advised not to alternate between breast-feeding and artificial milk due to the risk of contamination.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
