ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Two United Nations agencies have called on the government and health authorities for urgent action to tackle malnutrition in children in Pakistan.

In a joint statement here on Thursday to commemorate the 'World Breastfeeding Week', which started on August 1, Unicef and WHO say children in Pakistan face serious issues of immunisation, nutrition and sanitation, needing urgent attention.

“This is illustrated by only one in five children under one year of age being immunised and 31 per cent being born with low birth weight. With a national average stunting rate at 37 per cent and acute malnutrition at 13 per cent, urgent action is needed,” said Dan Rohrmann, Unicef country representative for Pakistan.

“Root causes for malnutrition are not only linked to the 2010 floods but due to inappropriate infant and young child feeding practices, including the late initiation of breastfeeding as well as inappropriate complementary foods and inappropriate weaning foods,” said Rohrmann.

“Therefore many of the nutrition problems we see today would be greatly alleviated with increased exclusive breastfeeding and more knowledge around nutrition.”

He said exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life remains essential as the country is still recovering from the impact of the destructive 2010 floods that inundated almost one-fifth of the country. “While nutritious food supplies, sanitation and access to safe drinking water remain elusive for millions, breastfeeding – particularly exclusive breastfeeding – provides critical protection from infection in environments without a safe water supply and sanitation.”

Dr Nima Abid, acting WHO representative, said Pakistan's high rate of child mortality, with malnutrition and preventable diseases being key contributing factors, can be addressed by implementing a multi-sectoral approach across Pakistan.

“World Breastfeeding Week provides an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to protecting children and promoting this life-saving measure; exclusive breastfeeding gives a child the best possible start in life,” said Dr Abid.

During World Breastfeeding Week celebrations, Unicef and WHO are supporting the government and the National Alliance for Promotion and Protection of Breastfeeding to organise awareness-raising activities. This year's celebrations emphasise the role that everyone can play to raise awareness about breastfeeding – a natural and nurturing start to life for infants and mothers.

Breastfeeding is directly linked to reducing the numbers of children who die before their fifth birthday. In Pakistan, 78 infants out of 1,000 live births die every year while under-five mortality is 94 deaths per 1,000 live births. Significant numbers of infants continue to die from diarrhoea, pneumonia, respiratory infections and under-nutrition.

A major source of these diseases is the lack of exclusive breastfeeding and the use of unhygienic bottles, formula milk and teats.