Nyandarua government will soon roll out a programme to supply fortified milk to children born of HIV infected parents as stakeholders pooled resources to salvage the county’s malnutrition state.
Last week, the County Assembly adopted a motion which if implemented will cause creation of a programme to provide fortified milk to the children aimed at boosting their immunity.
Magumu ward MCA Salome Gathoni who sponsored the motion said milk was a basic requirement for the growth of such children, but has been very expensive for some parents to afford.
Infected parents only breastfed their children exclusively in the first six months and stop completely on introduction of other foods to avert mother-child transmission of the virus, she added.
Majority Chief Whip, Wangari Methu and County Member for Rurii Ward, Geoffrey Ngaruiya while backing the motion urged the people of Nyandarua to embrace and support needy persons living with HIV/AIDs to enable them continue living productive lives.
“The House resolution has been forwarded to the Department of Health Services for implementation. It is my humble request to the County Executive to give consideration to persons living with HIV/AIDS as much as they do to Covid-19 patients,” remarked Acting speaker Zachary Njeru.
Nutritionists have been concerned that in every 100 children in the county, 29 had stunted growth due to malnutrition, with stakeholders pooling resources towards changing the narrative.
On his part, Governor Francis Kimemia, who has in the recent past been advising parents to allow some nutritious foods including milk for their children before they sell the rest, regretted that their development was at stake.
“When a child is given an egg by its mother, he sells it to buy Kangumu, what is in this Kangumu that makes it a liking of both the old and the young?” posed Kimemia in a recent public meeting, while attributing the malnutrition to lack of proteins in the children’s diet.
By Anne Sabuni
