The Rotary Club Ikoyi has advised nursing mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding to protect their babies against cholera. The President of the club, Mr Emmanuel Efuntayo, gave this advice during the presentation of diapers, mosquito nets, and other items to nursing mothers at Iru/Victoria Island Health Centre, Lagos State, on Monday. The donation by the club is in commemoration of the Rotary Maternal and Child Health Month.
Efuntayo said practising exclusive breastfeeding would help babies fight diseases. He said the Rotary Club decided to join the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding because it was a veritable way of preventing diseases, including cholera. The president noted that there was no better time to advocate or promote breastfeeding and good hygiene than now.
“We know that cholera as an illness has a water and sanitation relationship. So, we are also advocating that at least every nursing mother should hygienically give exclusive breastfeeding for their children for at least two years. “I was breastfed exclusively for more than a year by my mother so exclusive breastfeeding is for good health and disease prevention.
“I believe that exclusive breastfeeding has a way of protecting a child against all manners of diseases, especially now that we have cholera,” he said. Efuntayo urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the donated items, adding that they should not sell them as it was for their well-being and their babies. The president said the club don.