By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Ebonyi State Government has disclosed that so far about 25 persons have died of coronavirus pandemic across the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezuruike, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abakaliki during a press briefing to mark the World Breastfeeding Week.

Umezuruike advised phone users to disinfect their phones intermittently against COVID-19.

He said that Ebonyi State has recorded about 871 confirmed cases, out of which 804 have been discharged, and 36 active cases are still at different isolation centres in the state, even as some patients are on home isolation.

Umezuruike emphasised the importance of mothers breastfeeding their children, stating that the reason for the breastfeeding week is to galvanise support for breastfeeding and for mothers to go back to that culture of breastfeeding their children for up to two years.

He said that six months exclusive breastfeeding protects a child from diseases such as diarrhea, cholera and pneumonia, while it protests the mother from cancers of the breast, cervix and uterus. He advised breastfeeding mothers to observe general hygiene.

“A child needs to be breastfed starting from 30 minutes to one hour after delivery to six months exclusive breastfeeding. Feeding with breast milk is natural, and has complete nutrition.

“Complimentary feeding should be introduced after six months while breastfeeding should be continued to two years. Any child that is fed that way behaves like a human being because of the mother and child bonding. Breastfeeding is a critical part of a sustainable feeding system.

“Because of the importance of breastfeeding, the world since 1990 set aside August 1-7 of every year to celebrate breastfeeding. And in Ebonyi State since we came on board we always celebrate it because it’s important to us,” Umezuruike said.

He added that HIV positive mothers can initiate breastfeeding of their baby from 30 minutes to one hour of birth, and can do six months exclusive breastfeeding and should continue to breastfeed up to 2years provided they are judiciously taken antiretroviral drugs.

The commissioner noted that the Ebonyi State Government has come up with measures such as breastfeeding public awareness campaign, radio and television giggles to support exclusive breastfeeding, while mothers who are civil servants are giving four months paid maternity leave and upon resumption, they close by midday so as to go home and breastfeed their children.

“A Breastfeeding mother suspected to be having COVID-19 has to be isolated at home, if she experiences breath difficulty and other COVID-19 symptoms,they can still breastfeed and in doing so, she should use a facemask while breastfeeding. If skin to skin contact is not feasible, the mother can express her breast milk and give to the infant. Breast milk has some anti-infective agents especially that first one, the cholestrom,” he added.