PHA-Exchange> BREASTFEEDING CAN SAVE OVER 1 MILLION LIVES YEARLY, UNICEF REPORTS

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

 from Vern Weitzel <vern.weitzel at undp.org> -----

BREASTFEEDING CAN SAVE OVER 1 MILLION LIVES YEARLY, UNICEF REPORTS

If more infants worldwide are given only mother’s milk and no food or formula 
until the age of six 
months, at least 1.3 million lives could be saved this year, the United Nations 
Children’s Fund 
(UNICEF) said today.

With more than 10 million children dying annually from mainly preventable 
causes like diarrhoea and 
pneumonia, the agency said if every baby were exclusively breastfed for the 
first half-year of life, 
an estimated 3,500 lives could be saved each day.

<"http://www.unicef.org">UNICEF cited these statistics in calling for greater 
global commitment to 
support breastfeeding. “If a child dies a preventable death it’s because 
mothers and infants are not 
getting the basic support they need,” said UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy.

Calling breastfeeding “the most natural act of mother and newborn,” she said 
the practice has not 
been properly supported considering that it holds the key for children to 
develop well in good health.

Ms. Bellamy said every mother who chooses to exclusively breastfeed for six 
months has the right to 
services and support from their governments, communities and families.

Breastmilk contains all the nutrients, antibodies, hormones, immune factors and 
antioxidants that an 
infant needs to thrive during the first six months of life. It also protects 
babies from diarrhoea 
and acute respiratory infections while stimulating their immune systems.

In the first two months of life, an infant who is not exclusively breastfed is 
up to 25 times more 
likely to die from diarrhoea and four times more likely to die from pneumonia 
than a non-breastfed 
baby, UNICEF said. Growth and development may stall and the child stands a 
greater risk of obesity, 
heart disease and gastro-intestinal problems in later years.

Despite this evidence, only 39 per cent of babies worldwide are being breastfed 
exclusively in the 
first six months, the agency said. UNICEF helps governments to support 
breastfeeding, including 
through legislation to protect against formula companies that promote their 
products in such a way 
as to deter women from breastfeeding.

Tomorrow marks the start of World Breastfeeding Week, with UNICEF predicting 
the participation of 
more than 120 countries in awareness-raising and other related activities.


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