From Magnus Eze, Enugu
Experts have identified poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy as a major cause of underweight children at birth.
State Nutrition Officer, Ebonyi State Ministry of Health, Cyprain Ogbonna, stated this at the flag-off ceremony of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW) in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Elsewhere, Ogbonna said that the state has the worst indicator of malnutrition in the South East as 2018 annual survey showed that about 20,000 children die annually due to acute malnutrition.
The nutrition officer during a meeting of the Advocacy Communication and Social Mobilisation Core Group in Abakaliki, in September 2021, had decried the rate of malnutrition in the state. He described the death rate caused by the disease as worrisome.
Speaking at the activities marking the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week organised by the State Ministry of Health, State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in collaboration with the USAID-Breakthrough Action-Nigeria and other partners, Ogbonna noted that any child weighing below 2kg at birth is an underweight.
He explained that such condition could result to many developmental problems in the affected child: “The issue of nutrition should be taken seriously by all parents. Where there is nutrition problem, it could lead to permanent deformity. Any new born that is not up to 2kg is referred to as an underweight.
“Such condition affects the baby’s lungs, kidney, the brain, and in fact, many vital organs. Such a baby will definitely have developmental problems and cannot as an adult give birth to a child above 2kg. A child with low birth weight also has limited comprehension and cannot do well in school.
“Moreover, children who are malnourished are more likely to exhibit anger and bitterness as they are often unfit for peer activities in school.
“It is therefore important that pregnant women especially and children should eat healthy diets containing all essential food components. For the newborn, breast milk exclusively for the first six months is recommended.”
Programme Manager, State Emergency Routine Immunization Coordinating Centre for USAID-BA-N, Dr. Miracle Ogbu, emphasised the significance of the event, describing the MNCHW as a period of high-impact integrated health services for mother and child.
Ogbu, who is also the State MNCHW focal person for Breakthrough Action-Nigeria, listed the components of the week to include the administration of Vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets to infants as well as the Multiple Multi-nutrient Supplement to prevent anaemia in children and pregnant women.
In a presentation, the advocacy and capacity strengthening officer for USAID-Breakthrough Action, Charity Odio, advised mothers to go back to natural foods sourced from farms and gardens around their environment. She said that such were better than canned, preserved and over-processed foods.
Special Guest at the event and Director, Community Health Services of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Chris Elemuwa, admonished primary healthcare workers in the state to approach the activity with utmost commitment.
He administered Vitamin A supplements to under-5 babies at the event, while shared services targeted at both the mothers and their children, including family planning, birth registration, health promotion, HIV/AIDS prevention and other social behaviour change advocacies, signposted the week.