Infant

This document aims to summarise the National Strategic Plan for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Women’s Health (MNCWH) in South Africa and the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA).

The 2012 edition of the Child Development Index tells a story of success. This edition of the Index shows that substantial progress has been made in addressing the most basic threats to child survival and well-being. On average, the lives of children around the world in the indicators we measured improved by more than 30%. This means that the chances of a child going to school were one-third higher, and the chances of an infant dying before their fifth birthday were one-third lower at the end of the 2000s than a decade before. During this period child well-being improved in 90% of the countries surveyed.

Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infants life is recommended worldwide. In 1998 the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) showed that only 10% of mothers exclusively breastfeed at 3 months. As the HIV virus is transmissible via breast milk, UNAIDS (2000) recommends that women in developing countries should be given a choice of feeding method, after counselling on the risks and benefits of breast feeding versus formula feeding. As a result, the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme was launched in KwaZulu-Natal with the aim of providing interventions to prevent mother to - child transmission of the HIV virus. However, research has shown that infant feeding practices are influenced by numerous factors. Ultimately mothers will feed their infants in a manner they feel comfortable with, even if it is not always the most appropriate choice. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine and compare the current infant feeding practices and some of the factors that influence these practices of Zulu mothers with 0 - 6 month old infants attending PMTCT and non - PMTCT clinics in Central Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

South Africa provides HIV+ mothers with free commercial infant milk for six months of the infants life in 18 pilot sites for the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT). Many mothers in the PMTCT-programme choose to accept this formula, but few studies of actual feeding patterns have been conducted. Studies in some PMTCT pilot sites have shown that mothers have difficulties in formula feeding their children. The risks of replacement feeding are well known in general, but very few detailed studies of the issues involved have been in any African setting.

A workshop to develop guidelines. The effects of commercial products from some industries on the health and well being of communities has been a subject of debate for many years. The tobacco, alcohol and infant formula industries have been under special scrutiny in this regard. In the case of the infant formula industry, the debates have focused more on how breast milk substitutes affect health promotion efforts aimed at promoting breastfeeding. To this end, international health groups such as UNICEF and WHO have embarked on global campaigns, some of which have led to the formulation of a number of international codes. These codes are intended to help regulate the use and marketing of breast milk substitutes, for example, the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981.