Mothers cautioned on use as new diaper brands flood market

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new diaper brand has hit the market, just less than a year after another international brand Molfix came in amidst pomp and endorsement by top musicians in the country.

Pure Born, the latest entrant which is UK made is being promoted as Uganda’s first organic brand and targets middle-class women who are increasingly adopting disposable diaper options with busy work schedules.

Brendalin Kirungi, the Brand Manager of Pure Born diapers in Uganda boasts of their product being biodegradable and 100% organic made from the natural bamboo plant. She told journalists at the launch that they came in after doing a market survey which pointed to several quality complaints being raised by parents using diapers.

Even though there is not yet clear data on how big the consumer market is, according to analysts, Uganda’s disposable diaper market is fast growing with different brands coming up with some costing as cheap as Shs500 per diaper. This however is amidst skepticism among users with concerns of adverse health effects including myths of causing infertility among male children.

URN put this to pediatrician Dr. Sabrina Kitaka who said there’s no scientific study done in the country to confirm this claim but rather she notes that nearly 60% of babies born irrespective of the specific diaper brand will develop a rash.

Kitaka says that the most common cause of diaper rash is when a baby’s nappy is not changed often as mothers try to save or are busy at work and yet some diapers contain preservative chemicals that some babies are allergic to.

According to Kitaka, when an allergen-producing product is applied to anybody, it will lead to a hypersensitivity reaction although it is in most cases a delayed hypersensitivity reaction. With some babies that wear diapers for almost two years, the impact will be experienced.

She recommends the easily degradable diaper brands that are manufactured without chemicals although emphasizing that these are few on the local market.

However, according to Uganda National Bureau of Standards -UNBS, there are up to eighty disposable diaper brands on the market and issues they look out for when approving include ability to absorb liquid and whether the sizes match what is calibrated on the packaging.

Levis Kanene, a Standards Officer tells URN that generally diapers are available in four sizes, small, medium, large, and extra-large.

In their quality assurance laboratory, he says they also test the materials used in the product for cleanliness and freedom from disease causing bacteria.

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URN