The 14th national meet of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics-Infant and Young Child Feeding (IAP-IYCF) and the 10th national meet of the Human Milk Bank Association are being held at the School of Public Health, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram; SAT Hospital; and Ananthapuri Hospital; from November 15-17.
Over 150 delegates from within the State and country are participating in the workshops and seminars being arranged in connection with the events.
Breastfeeding rates have been going down in Kerala and less than 10% infants under the age of two years in the State are getting proper nourishment. Growth retardation, anaemia and obesity have also been going up amongst children in Kerala, according to the IAP Kerala.
Malnourishment in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, right from conception, can have serious detrimental effects on the child’s physical and intellectual development as well as emotional well being. This could also lead to stunting, obesity or anaemia in future, it said.
Babies born prematurely or with low birth weight and infants who might be separated from biological mothers after birth would not get proper breast feeding and it is important that more human milk banks are set up for the benefit of these infants. At present, only three districts in Kerala—Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Thrissur—have human milk banks.
The workshops and seminars being organised in connection with the events will discuss the possibilities for setting up more human milk banks, how breastfeeding rates can be improved and how proper nutrition can be ensured for infants under the age of two years.
Published – November 14, 2024 11:22 pm IST