An under-5 clinic in Transkei
Stott, R.A.
South African Medical Journal 53(26): 1050
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 694678 Document Number: 126368
The under-5 clinic in Tsolo, Transkei provides health education, admits malnourished infants and after their discharge follows their progress as outpatients given free milk until their bodyweight is normal. Most of 137 mothers had been to the clinic but only a third of them understood the importance of regular visiting. The rest came when the infant required treatment, but loss of bodyweight or failure to gain were not considered indications for visiting the clinic. From ages of admission with marasmus and kwashiorkor, it seemed that infants were most at risk of malnutrition in the first few months of life and up to 3 years old. Local custom keeps the mother at home for 3 months after parturition, by which the infants not breast fed are usually severely malnourished and those breast fed have been accustomed to bad habits. The most common is giving dilute milk or porridge from dirty bottles between breast feeds. Most malnutrition was in the year after weaning. Cow's milk is scarce, dried milk is expensive and the mothers do not give eggs, amazimba or vegetables though they have been told the value of those foods and could produce them. Infants at weaning are fed mainly on porridge, and soon after they are sent to stay with relatives and begin the adult diet of cereal, beans and vegetables, with meat on special occasions only. Porridge provides inadequate energy and protein. The clinic was popular with mothers, of whom 50 visited it daily during the survey, and it helped to reduce the high incidence of malnutrition.