Responses
to the Tsunami disaster and infant feeding
13 January
2005
The International
Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)
expresses its concern and solidarity with the victims of the tsunami disaster
and wishes to highlight the need to protect infant lives trough adequate
feeding practices.
IBFAN and the Emergency
Nutrition Network are concerned to hear of
well-meaning individuals organising collection of baby
milk to send to
the areas affected
by
the Tsunami disaster. Such donations are not being sought
by experienced disaster relief organisations. Widespread
distribution of donations of baby milk in the past have
undermined breastfeeding rates and in situations of poor
access to safe
water and sanitation, breastfeeding becomes even more important
in preventing infection to infants. Where water is unsafe
an artificially-fed child is up to 25 times more likely
to die as a result of diarrhoea than a breastfed child.
Orphans
and infants separated from their mothers who may need baby
milk are better served by sourcing this locally, so that
labels are in the correct language, and distributing this
with appropriate training on safe use.
IBFAN groups
work in disasters in providing such training as well as
supporting mothers with breastfeeding and helping mothers
to re-lactate should this be necessary (for
example, field operation modules developed by the
Emergency Nutrition Network, IBFAN, UNICEF, UNHCR and WHO
are being used across the region, the Breastfeeding
Protection Network of India is supporting activity in
the affected area, with financial support from our German
IBFAN partner, and the International
Code Documentation Centre in Penang
is distributing information in the region - see notes).
IBFAN
joins other humanitarian organisations in calling for people
wishing to help
to do so by providing money through
organisations such as UNICEF or
BPNI so that appropriate support can be given
and any required supplies sourced locally.
It is essential
that distribution of powdered whole milk is handled carefully
by government and non-governmental organisations so that
it is not used inappropriately as a breast milk substitute.
As well as working
to ensure donations in emergency situations are appropriate,
IBFAN has worked to ensure products
are labelled in the appropriate language for the country
where they are sold. In the case of Sri Lanka, IBFAN ran
a successful campaign supporting a government requirement
that
baby milk
be labelled in three languages
(click
here for details).
For more
information
Mike Brady: (UK)
07986 736179 (International) +44 7986
736179 or
Patti
Rundall: (UK) 07786 523493 (International) +44 7786 523493
at Baby Milk Action.
For information
from other agencies see:
WHO
Save the Children
(UK) - statement issued in India
Notes to
Editors:
-
The
Indian IBFAN-Group BPNI (Breastfeeding
Promotion Network of India) is directly involved
on the ground helping to
ensure the victims of the seaquake can benefit from the
state of the art knowledge on infant feeding in situations
like this one. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft
Freier Stillgruppen (AFS) is also a member of IBFAN
and it supports the work of BPNI with donations. Contact
BPNI for details of how to send a donation.
-
A breastfed
child is less likely to suffer from gastro-enteritis,
respiratory and ear infections, diabetes, allergies and
other illnesses. Reversing the decline in breastfeeding
could save 1.5 million lives around the world every year.
Breastfeeding helps fulfil the Millennium Development
Goals and has the potential to reduce under- 5 mortality
by 13%.
-
IBFAN has produced
a booklet on Infant Feeding in Emergencies and has worked
with the Emergency Nutrition Network on training modules
for field staff (click
here).
Two training Modules for humanitarian aid workers
are now available(Module 1 and 2 at http://www.ennonline.net/).
-
The International
Code Documentation Centre in
Penang is distributing information on infant feeding
in the region (click
here to download).
-
Donations can
be made to UNICEF at http://www.unicef.org/
- Article 7 of
UK baby milk regulations clearly states that baby milk
for export must have instructions in the appropriate language
for the destination country. See http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950077_en_1.htm
KEY POINTS
from the Operational Guidance on IFE
Every agency should
develop or endorse a policy relating to infant and young
child feeding in emergencies (that should be institutionalised);
the policy should be widely disseminated to all staff and
agency procedures adapted accordingly (Section 1).
Agencies need to
ensure the training and orientation of their technical and
non-technical staff, using available training materials (Section
2).
There must be a
designated body responsible for co-ordination of infant and
young child feeding for each emergency; that body must be
resourced and supported in order to carry out specific tasks
(Section 3).
Key information
on infant and young child feeding needs to be integrated
into routine rapid assessment procedures; if necessary, more
systematic assessment using recommended methodologies can
be conducted (Section 4).
Simple measures
should be put in place to ensure the needs of mothers and
infants are addressed in the early stages of an emergency
(Section 5).
Breastfeeding and
Infant and young child feeding support should be integrated
into other services for mothers, infants and young children
(Section 5).
Foods suitable
to meet the nutrient needs of older infants and young children
must be included in the general ration for food aid dependent
populations (Section 5).
Donations of breast-milk
substitutes, bottles and teats should be refused in emergency
situations (Section 6).
Any well-meant
but ill-advised donations should be under the control of
a single designated agency (Section 6).
Breast-milk substitutes,
other milks, bottles or teats must never be included in a
general ration distribution; these products must only be
distributed according to recognised strict criteria and only
provided to mothers or caregivers for those infants who need
them (Section 6).
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