PHA-Exchange> UN AGENCIES URGE BREASTFEEDING RIGHT AFTER BIRTH TO REDUCE INFANT DEATHS

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

 from Vern Weitzel <vern at coombs.anu.edu.au> -----


UN AGENCIES URGE BREASTFEEDING RIGHT AFTER BIRTH TO REDUCE INFANT DEATHS
New York, Aug  1 2007  1:00PM
Two United Nations agencies have kicked off World Breastfeeding Week today 
with 
a call for enabling new mothers to nurse their babies immediately after birth 
to 
prevent a significant number of neonatal deaths in developing countries.

“More than one third of child deaths occur during the first fragile month of 
life,” said Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (<" 
http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_40463.html">UNICEF).  “Early 
breastfeeding 
provides critical nutrients, protects infants against deadly diseases and 
fosters growth and development.”

UNICEF estimates that exclusive breastfeeding to the age of six months can 
prevent the deaths of 1.3 million children under the age of five each year.

The issue is particularly relevant in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the 
highest 
infant mortality rate in the world.  Some 10 per cent of all babies there die 
before the age of one and most neonatal deaths occur at home.

Though the rate of exclusive breastfeeding until the age of six months has 
more 
than doubled in the region since 1990 – to 30 per cent – this still leaves 
hundreds of thousands of children vulnerable to disease and death.

The UN World Health Organization (<" 
http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/world_breastfeeding_week/en/index.html">WHO
) 
too recommends that all children be exclusively breastfed for six months, and 
believes colostrum – the sticky, yellowish substance that is rich in 
antibodies 
and produced by the mother soon after birth – is the perfect food for every 
newborn.

Mother’s “first milk” not only nourishes, but it also protects and is 
“just what 
the baby needs during its first few days,” according to WHO.

“In a world where more than 10 million children die before their fifth 
birthday 
due to preventable causes, and where malnutrition is still rampant and 
associated with over half of all childhood deaths, there is simply no time to 
waste,” stated WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, stressing that 
breastfeeding needs to start in the first hour of life.

However, due to a widespread lack of awareness of its qualities and its key 
role 
in contributing to the health and growth of newborns, colostrum is frequently 
discarded.  Feeding water or other liquids deprives babies of a good start in 
life, notes the agency.


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