UNICEF Reacts as Bauchi Mother Rejects Egg for Malnourished Child

From Paul Orude, Bauchi

A mother in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State had refused to give her severely malnourished child an egg, believing it could cause yellow fever.

The revelation came during the visit of the UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Waafa Saeed, to Ganjuwa as part of efforts to promote community-led interventions to improve child welfare.

While interacting with Saeed, the woman, whose child is receiving treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) at a local facility, insisted that eggs were harmful to children, echoing a common misconception in some rural communities.

Dr. David Audu, UNICEF Health Specialist, told journalists in Bauchi on Wednesday that the statement shocked the UNICEF Country Representative, who immediately began counseling the woman on the nutritional benefits of eggs.

“he rep was moved in Ganjuwa when she saw the mother of a severely malnourished child and the mother said she does not give her daughter egg because egg causes yellow fever,” Audu said.

“This was shocking for the new Rep to hear. She is new in the community, she is new in our country and interacting with community members, these are stories that if you dig you will find and a lot of this is borne out of ignorance.”

Also speaking, Nuzfat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Field Office (CFO) Bauchi, explained that the visit of the Country Representative had been fruitful as it highlighted key issues and elicited strong commitments from the state government.

“The (UNICEF Country Representative) encouraged the government to look for local solutions and His Excellency Governor Bala Mohammed was interested in looking for the local solutions and behaviour change and prevention of malnourished children,” Rafique stated.

“How long will we keep on producing malnourished children? It is better to change behaviour to feed the children appropriately and to teach the mothers and the communities to care for these children when they are conceived, from conception to two years.

“We should halt the production of these malnourished children. No child should be malnourished in the first place, because it affects their physical growth, their mental growth, their cognitive functions and the damage is done once the child is malnourished. No child should enter the phase of malnutrition.

“That is something prominent in Waafa’s mission here in Plateau, Bauchi. It is clear that without the support of LGAs, traditional leaders, religious leaders, village leaders, the ward focal points, it is not possible to change the narrative. She was appreciative. She said it was an excellent mission and interacted with mama2mama, fathers for good health, community groups — and there is a genuineness in them to do something for children.”

On her part, Philemon Irene, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, commended the Bauchi State government for releasing a counterpart fund of N300 million to tackle malnutrition.

“Over time Bauchi had one of the worst statistics when it relates to nutrition,” she disclosed.

“Stunting rate is above 50 percent and this is worrisome for the future of children if nothing is done.

“The visit of the Rep yielded dividend with the release of funds and this is promising because the number of children is increasing.

“The mortality is very high, not what we should be proud about, but we are happy to see encouraging steps for children and pregnant women. The rep witnessed the behavioural change components of Bauchi state — fathers for good health, mama2mama — to encourage mothers to take treatment for their malnourished children in the facilities.”