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A child having difficulty eating (ANTARA / Shutterstock) - 

Consumption habits of mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding are linked to eating difficulties or picky eating among their children.

Head of the Anthropometry Working Group of the Health Ministry, concurrently Pediatrician and Consultant for Nutrition & Metabolic Diseases, Prof. Dr Damayanti R. Sjarif, Sp.A (K) remarked that the fetus in the womb consumes the same food eaten by the mother. Likewise, at the time of breastfeeding, whatever the mother eats is taken up by the infant.

"You have formed the child's eating habits since pregnancy. When breastfed, the infant will be exposed to the food consumed by the mother. If the mother is not picky about food, the child will not become a picky eater," Prof. Sjarif recently remarked.In fact, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, parents can introduce a variety of foods, so that in future, the child can develop a liking for any type of food that is offered.

"I pay attention to children with eating difficulties. I asked the mother if she had experienced vomiting during pregnancy? If so, then naturally (children become picky eaters) since when they were babies, they were not introduced to various types of food. If the mother introduces a variety of foods while the child is in the womb, it will not be fussy (in consuming food)," Prof. Sjarif stated.

When breastfed babies start consuming complementary foods (MPASI), they should also be provided the same foods consumed by their families. Prof. Damayanti does not recommend that babies be fed only one type of food, especially ingredients containing more flour."Give children the same food that the family members eat at home, but the texture of the food needs to be different. Mothers can provide complementary foods to breastfed babies. It is easy to make it. Simply mash it or blend it. They do not have to be cooked in a special way," she noted.

Consultant for Nutrition & Metabolic Diseases for Children at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia - Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (FKUI-RSCM) Dr Titis Prawitasari, Sp.A (K) had earlier expounded that complementary foods are best offered to children when the mother is unable to meet the child's milk requirements, especially when they reach six months of age.

Prawitasari remarked that mothers can provide sufficient milk to meet the needs of infants up to six months of age, and it is apparent from the indicators of good growth and development.

However, Prawitasari believes that if breast milk is no longer able to meet the child’s nutritional requirements before it reaches six months of age, then the mother can provide complementary foods.If complementary foods are not provided after the child crosses six months of age, then it will experience a daily calorific shortage of about 200 calories.

An indication of the child being ready to receive nutrients apart from breast milk is its ability to hold its head up to support its chest whilst seated.

Another sign is the spontaneity of sticking its tongue out when there is less food in the mouth, also called extrusion.

Children are also considered ready to receive complementary foods when they exhibit enthusiasm on seeing food and are able to reach out to it and put it in the mouth//ANT

Head of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo. (ANTARA/Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak) - 

Head of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo has issued a warning to the people at large to not breach the government's homebound travel ban.

"The government's ban on homebound travel, or 'mudik,' is purely aimed at breaking the chain of COVID-19 transmission and contagion," Monardo remarked here on Saturday.

To this end, Monardo has urged all members of communities nationwide to diligently adhere to the government's ban on "mudik" before, during, and after the Idul Fitri holiday season.

The government has banned homebound travel on May 6-17, but the people are not allowed to travel before and after that period of time, he pointed out.

The BNPB head highlighted the government’s concern that a large-scale movement of people before the Ramadan fasting month ends and during the Idul Fitri holiday season may trigger the spread of the COVID-19 contagion."We do not want a family gathering to end with tragic events. We lose our beloved ones (due to COVID-19). Please do not let such tragedies occur," he stated.

The coronavirus outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and then spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Indonesian government announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

Since then, the central and regional governments have made persistent efforts to flatten the coronavirus curve by imposing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.

To break the chain of transmission of COVID-19, which has impacted the purchasing power of scores of families in Indonesia, the government had also banned "mudik" last year.

Indonesia is also striving to win the fight against this global pandemic of the coronavirus disease through a national vaccination program.

According to the Health Ministry, it will take around 15 months to vaccinate about 181.5 million people under the national program."We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," the Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.

During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate some 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, according to Tarmizi.

Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program was divided into two periods: January-April 2021 and April 2021-March 2022//ANT

Embassy, Malaysian police rescue abused, unpaid Indonesian maid

The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian Police (PDRM) rescued an Indonesian housemaid, who faced abuse at the hands of her employers and was not paid salary for the last five years.

"Within 24 hours of having received the report from the community, the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur moved swiftly by coordinating with the D3 Unit of the Royal Malaysian Police to take action," Yoshi Iskandar, the embassy's coordinator of the information, social, and cultural functions, stated here on Friday.

The 46-year-old Indonesian from West Java Province was abused by her two Malaysian employers, Iskandar remarked.

"On the night of April 15, 2021, through coordination with the embassy, the PDRM reached the location to rescue the victim and take her for a medical checkup over assaults by the perpetrators," he noted.The police have arrested the two abusers.

"The victim was very frail since she was allegedly not fed well by her employers, was mistreated, and faced physical violence,” Iskandar revealed.The woman was denied to have or use a cellular phone while working with the abusers.

"Another point reported by the victim is concerning her rights that she had never received salaries from her employers for working nearly five years," he stated.

The Malaysian police pledged to process the case legally in line with the existing laws, he remarked.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur will closely monitor the case and provide assistance to ensure the legal process against this crime and that the victim’s rights are being honored," he stated.

The embassy is currently also handling similar cases involving two Indonesian housemaids -- Adeline Lisao and Mei Harianti -- who were tortured horrendously by their employers.

"The two cases are going through the legal process at Malaysian courts, and the embassy is closely monitoring them to ensure that justice is upheld for the two victims," he remarked//ANT

Indonesia's Aceh Besar District hit by 5.5-magnitude quake

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck several areas in Aceh Besar District, Aceh Province, on Saturday, at around 8:04 a.m. local time.

No immediate reports were received of casualties following the earthquake that did not trigger a tsunami, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The agency recorded that the quake's epicenter was located around 38 kilometers (km) southwest of Jantho City in Aceh Besar District, at a depth of 92 km.

The quake’s tremors could be felt by those in Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe, and the districts of Pidie Jaya, Nagan Raya, and Aceh Jaya.

Earthquakes regularly rock various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Aceh had also experienced the deadliest ever earthquake, followed by tsunami, on December 26, 2004. The catastrophe that also affected certain coastal areas in countries, such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed some 230 thousand people.

The latest deadly earthquake to have rattled Indonesia was in West Sulawesi Province on January 15, 2021.

The 6.2-magnitude earthquake, ensued by several aftershocks, jolted the districts of Mamuju and Majene, claiming more than 100 lives and destroyed several buildings.

Sulawesi Island has repeatedly borne witness to deadly earthquakes. On September 28, 2018, for instance, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Central Sulawesi Province.

The strong earthquake that was followed by a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi Province, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes incurred serious damage, while 78,994 people were displaced.

The authorities and humanitarian workers decided to bury the large number of rotting corpses in mass graves.

Meanwhile, material losses inflicted by the twin deadly disasters were estimated to reach Rp15.29 trillion.The provincial capital of Palu bore the brunt of the disaster, with material damage and losses recorded at Rp7.6 trillion, or 50 percent of the total estimate, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The material damage and losses in Sigi District were recorded at Rp4.9 trillion, or 32.1 percent; Donggala District, at Rp2.1 trillion, or 13.8 percent; and Parigi Moutong District, at Rp631 billion, or 4.1 percent.

Material damage in the four affected areas reached an estimated Rp13.27 trillion, while material losses were reportedly around Rp2.02 trillion, the agency stated in October 2018//ANT