UNICEF and the Indonesian Ministry of Health said that "donations of milk, however well-intentioned, are to be discouraged", noting that even under normal conditions, breastfeeding is by far the safest way of nourishing infants.

"The risk of catching and dying from an infection (after using powdered or formula milk) is even greater in conditions such as the flooding in Jakarta where clean water and sanitation are limited," UNICEF said in a statement.

It noted that there was a 600 percent increase in cases of diarrhea amongst children under the age of two in the Yogyakarta region of Indonesia who received powdered milk or formula after an earthquake last May.

The recent flooding in Jakarta has forced about 300,000 people from their homes at different times, including around 30,000 children under the age of five, UNICEF said.

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