Kano: 2m kids malnourished as govt mulls 6-month maternity leave

The Kano State Government has said about two million children in the state under the age of five are malnourished.

The nutrition officer in the state’s Ministry of Health, Halima Yakasai, disclosed this yesterday at the flag-off of 2023 World Breastfeeding Week in Kano.

She said “The state’s poor nutrition statistics are largely due to suboptimal maternity, infant and young children feeding practices, particularly very low exclusive breastfeeding rates.

“According to MICS 2021, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is 10.1%. More than 75% of children consume liquids and food in addition to breastfeeding during their first six months if life, which contributes to child malnutrition, infection and even mortality.”

• Tinubu urged to engage youths in policy development
• CDS visits wounded troops in Kaduna

Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said the government was considering increasing maternity leave from three to six months for working nursing mothers

Yusuf, who was represented by Permanent Secretary Amina Musa, said the current administration in the state is committed to nutrition health and ensuring the practice of exclusive breastfeeding in the state.

“Presently, we are looking at the possibility of extending maternity leave for working mothers beyond the current three months.”