Time to include infant and young child feeding in emergency planning – Marie Sherlock TD
Speaking at the launch of the Infant Feeding in Emergencies on the Island of Ireland report, Labour Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD said that there is a glaring and forgotten gap in Ireland’s emergency preparation that needs to be addressed.
Opening the conference Deputy Sherlock said:
“Infant and child feeding has been a forgotten part in emergency planning. Yet for babies and young children, access to breastfeeding and appropriate facilities for milk formula and baby food preparation are a critical part to keeping babies and children healthy and safe during a time of major upheaval.
“Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to extreme events, whether due to sustained electricity and water outages and other major events such as fire, flooding, crashes, explosions, or sudden homelessness.
“Storm Eowyn demonstrated how exposed Ireland is to extreme weather events. At one point, hundreds of thousands of people were without water or electricity, leaving parents without boiling water for sterilisation or refrigeration.
“We know storms have been increasing with intensity. There has been a 20% increase in heavy precipitation events which may lead to flooding or storm surge.
“The reality is that Ireland has reduced resilience to emergency situations with low breastfeeding rates, a single milk bank in the Ireland of Ireland, and a reliance on small number of infant formula manufacturers.
“These challenges point to a clear need for a dedicated response to protecting infant and child feeding during emergencies. It also points to a need to build greater resilience within our population in terms of greater breastfeeding support for those who want to access it with in our health system and in the community. There is a need for dedicated spaces for infant food and formula preparation in emergency accommodation.
“The Office of Emergency Planning must ensure that infants and young children are reflected in contingency planning and ensure that there are Infant and Young Child Feeding Response Teams during emergencies.
“This report was a two-year cross border research project. I want to praise the authors for this important crucial research and its recommendations.”
ENDS
The report can be read here: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/explore/schools/biological-and-health-sciences/IYCF-E.pdf