excuse my ignorance, but why do breastfed babies/children in third world countires get sick?

with malaria(sp) and other types of diseases?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Myra Mangolicious on June 16, 2012 at 4:46am

Maybe because their mothers are malnourished themselves?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Macuilxochitl on June 16, 2012 at 4:54am

And maybe also because Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Maggie on June 16, 2012 at 6:13am

yes - this;)

Even though breastfeeding is awesome and helps the immune system, it is still possible for babies to get sick sometimes, especially in a case like this where the baby is "injected" directly with the microbe causing illness. In other words, it's not like it was an airborne thing where both baby and mom are infected simultaneously - the mom is not infected in this case and part of the protection infants receive is via the antibodies the mom makes in response to exposure herself. So if mom wasn't exposed but baby was, baby is not receiving antibodies from mom.

Plus, the protection infants get from antibodies in the milk don't always totally avoid illness - it could just make it less severe than it would have been otherwise.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Maggie on June 16, 2012 at 6:19am

And don't forget that health has lot more to do with the whole picture than it does with diet alone. Even if baby is getting the best antibodies from mom, environmental factors still come into play - poor sanitation systems, lack of access to certain basic living and medical supplies (i.e. mosquito nets) can all contribute to illness.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Vice Abattoir on June 16, 2012 at 5:03am

Malnourished mothers + enviromental circumstances.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by StaceyT on June 16, 2012 at 5:07am

unfortunately due to misguided attempts to fatten up babies with solids as early as possible, often dirty water mixed into flour to form a paste, these children do not get exclusively breastfed.

http://www.voanews.com/content/a-13-2009-05-29-voa19-68815977/41321...

Also big companies find ways to trick these mothers into using formula milk which offers no real immune support.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

http://www.waba.org.my/news/tricks.htm

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amelia Swan on June 16, 2012 at 1:49pm

I'm glad you put this up; I couldn't find the article I had read on it! Sad, but true.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Peter Csere on June 16, 2012 at 7:59am

Great answers.

#1 reason - malnourished mommy. Baby is supposed to be protected by mommy's immune system. If mommy has a weak immune system, baby will be very susceptible to many diseases.

Of course, mommy is malnourished because in third world countries, healthy food is not exactly easy to come by. In fact, the "food aid" we send is often in the form of big paper sacks of GMO corn and soy grits. Basically we are feeding them as if they are cattle on a feedlot. Not only that, but we send our electronics there to be recycled, and the children melt the circuit boards over fires and collect the heavy metals that drip off to sell on the black market. Cancer cancer everywhere! I'm surprised that MORE breastfed babies don't get malaria!