Assessment of Status of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practice, Policy and Programs: Achievements and Gaps, in Ethiopia

Objectives: · To find achievements and gaps in the existing policy, program and practices in reference to Infant and Young Child Feeding in Ethiopia. · To build a consensus among all partners on the way forward to improve the existing IYCF practice. Methods: National publications, guidelines and reports were collected and assessed based on the 15 indicators modified by International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) to identify the current situations in the country in reference to the infant and young child feeding policy, program and practices. Participants from government and non-government reviewed and compiled the report. There was an elaborate discussion on each indicator before consensus was reached. The document was also validated by participants from different organizations on February 13, 2013. Results: In this assessment gaps were identified and recommendations were also forwarded. The main gaps include the absence of National Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes and Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, Idequate maternity leave conditions , lack of knowledge and experience by mothers about optimal complementary feeding practiceand the risk of bottle feeding. Conclusions: Key recommendations are the need of Implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes and capacitating of ealth workers in giving IYCF support skills for mothers. There is the needto review labour regulations s. This calls for the attention of policy makers and partners to promote optimal breastfeeding for the well being of infants and children in the country

Enteric pathogen detection among children discharged from outpatient treatment for severe acute malnutrition and associations with subsequent relapse in South Sudan

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects millions of children each year, putting them at increased risk of death and disease. Many children relapse to acute malnutrition (AM) or SAM following community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programmes. Enteric infection is hypothesized to be a risk factor for relapse. We collected rectal swabs from children recently recovered from uncomplicated SAM in South Sudan and tested them for a suite of enteric pathogens using a TaqMan Array Card. We estimated enteric pathogen prevalence and examined associations between pathogen detection and risk of relapse to AM and SAM within three and six months of recovery. One or more enteric pathogen was detected in 82% of children (389/476). Bacterial and protozoan pathogens were the most frequently detected pathogen types, with each detected in 57% of children, followed by enteric viruses (10%) and helminths (4.4%). Detection of one or more enteric pathogen, protozoan pathogen, or viral pathogen was not associated with relapse to AM or SAM at either time point. Detection ≥1 helminth was associated with increased risk of relapse to SAM, and ≥1 bacterial pathogen was associated with decreased risk of relapse to AM. Both enterotoxigenic E. coli and enteroaggregative E. coli were associated with decreased risk of relapse to SAM and/or AM at three- or six-months post-recovery. Shigella was the only individual pathogen associated with increased risk of relapse to AM and SAM. In this setting, most children suffering from SAM were exposed to enteric pathogens during treatment. However, we found no consistent relationship between pathogen detection at treatment discharge and risk of relapse to AM or SAM within three or six months of recovery. Despite this, limiting pathogen exposures during this vulnerable period remains important given the high risk of serious adverse health effects. These results highlight the lack of access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene and reinforce the potential importance of anthelmintics as part of CMAM