Garissa County Health CeC Hubbie Hussein has encouraged women to embrace exclusive breastfeeding on their new-born babies for a period of up to six months to reduce infant mortality rates.
Speaking at Garissa hotel on Wednesday during the launch of the world's breastfeeding week, Hubbie said exclusive breastfeeding greatly eliminates an infant’s exposure to rather unsafe food or drinking water, a fact that she said will help save an estimated 6 million lives annually across the world.
“This annual celebration should be a wakeup call for a sustained commitment to maintaining and improving standards in the inculcation of an exclusive breastfeeding culture within our families, communities and even work places,” Hubbie said.
The CeC pointed out that misinformation on breastfeeding practices among the local Somali communities is to blame for increased malnutrition among young children under the age of two years.