By Tendai Makaripe
Zimbabwean medical doctor Misheck Ruwende is urging exclusive breastfeeding in Zimbabwe for the first six months of life, warning that early substitutes and solid foods can expose babies to diarrhoea and pneumonia — two illnesses linked to high child mortality.
Speaking in an interview with popular podcaster Owen Madondo, known as DJ Ollah, Ruwende said some mothers are introducing alternatives too early.
“Mothers should practice exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. No solids or alternatives should be given to children in that period,” he said. He added that “their stomachs can’t digest this food.”
His message comes as the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) 2023–24 reports that 42.4% of infants aged 0–5 months are exclusively breastfed.
The same survey shows many babies are receiving additions alongside breast milk: 22.7% were given plain water only, while 25.6% were fed solid, semi-solid or soft foods in the previous 24 hours.
Ruwende said some families turn to milk replacements and “different types of porridge,” but insisted “none of these things beats a mother’s milk.”
He also criticised sweetened or flavoured drinks sold as baby-friendly. “No maheu substitute is good for the baby,” he said, adding, “Instead of buying maheu banana flavour, just buy the banana itself.”
For working mothers, he encouraged expressing and storing breast milk. He said husbands should “buy breast milk pumps so that they express the milk and leave it for their babies,” adding that “there are no dangers associated with that” if equipment and containers are kept clean.
Health guidance says freshly expressed milk can be stored up to 4 hours at room temperature, up to 4 days in a refrigerator, and about 6 months in a freezer (best), if handled hygienically.
Ruwende added that mothers living with HIV can breastfeed while taking treatment consistently and reaching “undetectable viral load.” Public health guidance notes that with sustained undetectable viral load on treatment, the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding is less than 1%, but not zero.
