Very good Marsha and I can add that WHO has just issued a statement on HIV
and infant feeding in Haiti which includes the following section on wet
nursing
"Wet-nursing may be the safest option for feeding infants without mothers to
ensure their survival in an emergency situation, ideally from a woman known
to be HIV-negative. Considering the prevalence of HIV in Haiti, the
likelihood of HIV transmission during a limited period of breastfeeding,
e.g. 1-2 months, by a woman whose HIV status is not known, is very low for
the infant and even lower for the wet-nurse6. For more details on
wet-nursing and HIV, the WHO-UNICEF Integrated IYCF Counseling Course can be
consulted.7"
Translation of WHO-speak is: if a baby does not have a mother, find a wet
nurse.
Karleen Gribble
Australia
--------------------------------------------------
From: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2010 12:48 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [LACTNET] Media talking points for breastfeeding and the Haiti
emergency
> The US Breastfeeding Committee, HMBANA, and ILCA have just issued the
> following talking points when discussing breastfeeding, human milk, and
> the situation in Haiti. This is current and should help when any of us are
> contacted by the media or colleagues.
>
>
>
> Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
> Weston, MA
>
>
> Media Talking Points
> Haiti Emergency and Breastfeeding
>
>
>
> KEY SOUNDBITES
> ▪ Breastfeeding is an infant’s first line of defense in this and any
> disaster situation. For the many orphaned, injured, and ill babies in
> Haiti, direct breastfeeding is the ONLY feasible option.
> § Mothers on the ground need support and encouragement to
> breastfeed their babies
> § If a mother has ceased breastfeeding, offer her the opportunity
> to restart or “relactate”
> § If a child is motherless or separated from his mother, other
> mothers can be asked to step in to share their milk by breastfeeding the
> baby
> ▪ Formula is a recipe for disaster in an emergency situation. The
> public is encouraged NOT to send formula donations, which can hamper
> relief efforts.
> ▪ Donate funds to relief organizations that can, in turn, acquire
> supplies as needed to meet the specific, identified needs on the ground.
> Among the recommended agencies: UNICEF, World Vision, Save the Children,
> Action Against Hunger
>
>
>
>
> Donor Milk Issues
> ▪ A small shipment of human milk left the Mothers’ Milk Bank of Ohio
> on Wed., Jan. 27 en route to the U.S. Navy Ship Comfort, stationed in the
> waters off the coast of Haiti.
> ▪ This was a highly unusual situation, accommodated due to the
> infrastructure on the ship. Medical staff are trained in the use of human
> milk, and appropriate facilities, refrigeration, cold chain, storage
> capacity, and cold chain were available to support the proper use of the
> milk, with a safe and secure mechanism for transporting it.
> ▪ Donor human milk is life-saving for preterm, sick, and medically
> fragile infants who may not be able to feed directly at the breast,
> providing anti-infective properties that protect from illness and disease,
> and enhancing growth and development.
> ▪ The initial appeal for donor milk was made earlier this week to
> help replenish supplies of milk at the regional milk banks around the
> country, which were already low following the holidays. This message was
> widely received and has resulted in adequate supplies for the capacities
> of the milk banks, and for babies on board the naval ship. The urgent
> need no longer exists.
> ▪ The infrastructure on the ground in Haiti can NOT support the use
> of donor human milk at this time. Instead, mothers should be supported in
> breastfeeding (or shared nursing by other mothers).
>
> Haiti Breastfeeding Rates
> ▪ Breastfeeding is the norm in Haiti
> ▪ UNICEF data shows:
> § 87% of babies are breastfeeding at ages 6-9 months
> § 35% are breastfeeding at ages 20-23 months
> ▪ Special concerns in countries like Haiti (even without an
> emergency of this magnitude) include lack of transportation, vulnerability
> to storms and flooding/mudslides, rough terrain that makes travel
> difficult, poverty, low education levels, and lack of resources. Common
> health issues in Haiti include diarrhea and respiratory illnesses,
> malaria, tuberculosis, etc.
> ▪ In an emergency, these issues are compounded.
> ▪ This is why it is SO important to protect breastfeeding in this
> environment. After the disaster, when long term recovery is underway, the
> worst thing to have to deal with is a breastfeeding culture that suddenly
> became a formula feeding society during a disaster. The repercussions on
> mortality and morbidity could take generations to overcome.
>
> Breastfeeding Saves Lives
> ▪ It is the perfect food…anti-infective properties to protect a baby
> from the germs that cause diarrhea , pneumonia, and other diseases, that
> are rampant in a contaminated environment, PLUS perfect nutrition when
> food sources are scarce, WATER to maintain hydration
> ▪ In the perfect delivery system...always available, always clean,
> constantly replaces itself, provides warmth, is loving, and allows for the
> important skin contact that lowers stress levels for both the baby and the
> mother
> ▪ Breastfeeding is one-stop shopping for the baby and requires
> nothing else but a mother.
>
> Problems with Infant Formula Use in an Emergency
> ▪ Formula feeding , which has no anti-infective properties, has been
> linked to significant increases in infant deaths in a disaster
> § Example: 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. 72% of families in this
> breastfeeding culture were given formula; and the occurrence of diarrhea
> was 3 times higher among formula fed infants.
> ▪ Formula requires clean water (which is often unavailable or
> contaminated in an emergency), fuel to boil water so it can be sterilized,
> sanitary feeding utensils, soap and a stove/fuel to clean feeding utensils
> after use, storage space that is clean and dry, refrigeration,
> electricity, staff and maternal education in the proper use of formula,
> and medical support since babies are sicker when they are not breastfed.
> ▪ Formula feeding requires intensive support from aid agencies,
> diverting them from their most important tasks of providing relief.
> ▪ Unsolicited donations become a logistical nightmare for aid
> agencies.
> ▪ UNICEF, World Health Organization, and World Food Programme have
> stated that donations of formula and human milk to the ground in Haiti are
> not appropriate and cannot be used at present.
> [http://www.who.int/hac/crises/hti/appeal/haiti_joint_call_for_support.pdf]
>
>
> Key Contacts:
> ▪ Human Milk Banking Association of North America – Pauline Sakamoto
> § Website: www.hmbana.org / Pauline email: [log in to unmask]
> § Pauline office: 408-885-3959
> ▪ United States Breastfeeding Committee – Joan Meek, Cathy Carothers
> § Website: www.usbreastfeeding.org
> § Joan: [log in to unmask],
> § Cathy: [log in to unmask] / 662-332-0887 or 662-931-6368
> ▪ International Lactation Consultant Association – Cathy Carothers
> § Website: www.ilca.org [Find a Lactation Consultant Directory]
> § Office: 1-888-452-2478
> § Cathy (see above)
>
>
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