Human milk banks to open at more KZN hospitals
Mothers struggling to feed their infants the natural way will soon be able to get breast milk from banks at more hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. The milk is donated by volunteers who are screened for diseases such as HIV‚ Syphilis‚ TB and Hepatitis B‚ are not narcotics users and lead a healthy lifestyle‚ said the MEC for health‚ Sibongiseni Dhlomo.The initiative‚ to be extended to Ladysmith‚ Bethesda‚ Dundee and Prince Mshiyeni Memorial hospitals‚ follows a World health Organisation (WHO) finding that feeding infants with only breast milk‚ and no other foods or liquids‚ for six months has several health advantages over mixed breastfeeding.The move is a bid to reduce mortality among children under the age of five. Research has shown that: * Breast milk provides protection against certain infections;Adults who were breastfed as children have a lower risk of contracting chronic diseases such as obesity‚ coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes; andWhen antiretroviral treatment or prophylaxis is used by either the mother or baby‚ HIV transmission through breastfeeding is significantly reduced.If a baby is HIV-positive‚ the mother should continue breastfeeding for as long as possible. “Mothers who are HIV positive do not have to be prohibited from feeding their own children‚” said Dhlomo...
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