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<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=jacnutt@telkomsa.net href="mailto:jacnutt@telkomsa.net">Jacquie Nutt</A>
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<P class=MsoBodyText style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">"Interested
persons are invited to submit any substantiated comments or representations on
the proposed regulations to the Director-General of Health, Private Bag X828,
Pretoria, 0001 (for the attention of the Director: Nutrition)"</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">emails
of support are not required, and paper letters are requested. I don't know
if they would accept printed emails that I receive and post on?</SPAN></P>
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lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The
South African draft regulations may be downloaded from </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><A
href="http://www.doh.gov.za">www.doh.gov.za</A></SPAN></SPAN></P>
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lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Note:
This is at the very least very worrisome!!</SPAN></P>
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lang=EN-ZA
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Claudio</SPAN></P>
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<P><A href="http://DA"><FONT face="verdana, arial, helvetica"
size=4><B>DA</A> milks baby adverts<BR></B></FONT><BR><FONT size=2>Dec 09
2003 04:12:09:607PM</FONT>
<P><FONT size=2><I>The DA has slammed a proposal to restrict ads for baby
formula, bottles and teats, and says it infringes on freedom of
speech.</I>
<P>Cape Town - The health department's proposals to restrict
advertisements for baby formula, bottles and teats are a serious
infringement on freedom of speech, the Democratic Alliance said on
Tuesday.
<P>While the DA recognised the need to promote breast-milk as the best
nutrition for infants, the department's draft Regulations Relating to
Foodstuffs for Infants and Young Children lacked balance and common sense,
the party's HIV and Aids spokesperson Mike Waters said in a statement.
<P>"In addition to banning advertisements for infant formula and feeding
gadgets, commentary about these products in the media and all industry
help lines - a serious infringement on freedom of speech - the government
is actually asking the manufacturers of these products to discourage their
use," he said.
<P>Besides other reasons mothers might have for not breast-feeding, the
best scientific advice recommended that HIV-positive mothers should not
breast-feed because, even if their baby was born HIV-negative, they could
be infected through breast-feeding.
<P>"This alone provides a sizeable market for infant formula and related
products. Manufacturers should be allowed to market their products to
these potential customers. The Department of Health should not encroach on
the free market.
<P>"Instead of acting like Big Brother, the government should rather
ensure that mothers have the necessary information to make an informed
choice, both through its own media campaign and through pre- and
post-natal counselling at public health facilities."
<P>It was not necessary to place such draconian demands and restrictions
on the industry to achieve the objective of healthier infants and young
children in South Africa, Waters said. </FONT>
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