DAVAO CITY—The Department of Health in Southern Mindanao has taken advantage of the melamine scare hounding China-made milk, including infant formulas, to push for its breastfeeding campaign.

Health Assistant Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said the discovery of melamine in milk produced in China highlighted the importance of feeding children with breast milk.

“Breast milk is naturally safe. And breastfeeding is naturally good both for the mothers and their children,” Ubial said.

Ubial said the DOH had partnered with malls and other establishments for putting up breastfeeding stations.

Some malls here have already established breastfeeding stations.

Come-on for moms

She said the stations were designed to convince mothers to breastfeed their children while in the workplace or malls.

Ubial said the breastfeeding station set-up was to give mothers and infants a friendly environment.

She said government hospitals in the region have also strictly implemented a no-bottle feeding children policy and that nurses and hospital workers were ordered to confiscate milk bottles.

Ma. Ines Av. Fernandez, Arugaan executive director, said there are 16 documented risks associated with infant formulas.

These include development of asthma, allergies, reduced cognitive development, acute respiratory disease, altered occlusion, infection from contaminated formula, nutrient deficiencies, childhood cancers, chronic diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases among others.

Mothers’ risks

Mothers who shy away from breast feeding their children are also in danger of getting breast cancer, risk of being overweight, increased risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, reduced natural child spacing, increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis, increased stress and anxiety and increased risk of maternal diabetes, she said.

“You don’t need (infant formula) at all. It is a creation and not a need,” Fernandez said.

The melamine scare gripped countries all over the world following the discovery that at least two milk manufacturers in China had laced milk products with melamine, an industrial chemical used mainly for plastics. Jeffrey M. Tupas and Rizalene P. Acac with a report from Eldie S. Aguirre, Inquirer Mindanao