<div dir="ltr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Pei Ching Chuah</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:peiching.chuah@waba.org.my">peiching.chuah@waba.org.my</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://waba.org.my/universal-health-coverage-everyone-everywhere/" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Joint

La Leche League International (LLLI) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding

Action (WABA) Statement</a> </span></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span></span></span><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black" align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">in Celebration of World Health Day 2018: 7 April 2018</span></b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black" align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">“Universal

health coverage: everyone, everywhere”<span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black" align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The World Health Organisation (WHO) was founded

on the principle that all people should be able to realise their right to the

highest possible level of health. World Health Day 2018 emphasises the

fundamental importance of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to the health and

well-being of all peoples as well as to all countries. La Leche League

International (LLLI) and the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)

celebrate World Health Day 2018 and the concept of UHC which cuts across all of

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<span style="background:white"><span></span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__gjdgxs"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">Breastfeeding is an important factor in achieving the SDGs and is

integral to UHC. This year’s </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://worldbreastfeedingweek.org" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white">World

Breastfeeding Week</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US"> (WBW)

focuses on Breastfeeding: Foundation of Life. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Breastfeeding

and human milk are the biological norm for a healthy start, supporting optimal

health in both children and in mothers and parents who lactate. Providing UHC

can ensure that babies and their parents have access to quality health care,

especially breastfeeding informed prenatal and newborn care, which are

essential to helping them get breastfeeding off to a good start. <span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__30j0zll"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Breastfeeding equalises the

start to health for infants across countries and families of every income

level. It provides optimal nutrition in infancy and the early years and reduces

the burdens of malnutrition [<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1159/000442075" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Scherbaum & Srour, 2016</a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">].

It also increases food security for infants and young children and reduces the

risk of hunger<span style="background:white"> </span>by

meeting each of the criteria for food security, “<span style="background:white">availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability of

supply of nutritionally appropriate and acceptable quantities of food” [</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-015-0029-6" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue;background:white">Salmon, 2015</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">]. </span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Breastfeeding

protects against diarrhea, respiratory and other infections, which can be

fatal. Children who are breastfed for longer periods have higher cognitive

development, and reduced risk of common illnesses than those who are breastfed

for shorter periods [</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Victora et al.,

2016</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">]. <span style="background:white"><span></span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__1fob9te"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">B<span style="background:white">reastfeeding also supports mothers’ health,</span>

reducing risks of breast and ovarian cancers [</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Victora et al.,

2016</a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">], <span style="background:white">and maternal cardiovascular disease [<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.006081" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Peters et al., 2017</a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">].

Mothers who reach their breastfeeding goals have half the risk of postnatal

depression [<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25138629" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Borra et al 2015</a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">].

The longer that the child is breastfed, the greater the benefits for all.<span style="background:white"><span></span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__3znysh7"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">Not breastfeeding is associated with a significant global economic

burden, including an estimated US$14.2 billion in costs due to</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">

premature <span style="color:windowtext">death in the US [</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mcn.12366" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Bartick,

2017</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">].<span style="background:white"> Increasing breastfeeding rates could increase savings in healthcare

costs in countries worldwide (e.g., US$223.6 million in China and US$6.0

million in Brazil [</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue;background:white">Rollins, et al., 2016</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">]; and US$118 million in Indonesia [</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5833067/" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue;background:white">Siregar et al., 2018</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">]).</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> Estimated

total economic losses from cognitive deficits associated with not breastfeeding

amount to <span style="color:windowtext">US$302 billion annually (0.49% of

world gross national income, GNI). [</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01044-2" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Rollins, et al.,

2016</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">]. <span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__2et92p0"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Most importantly,

breastfeeding saves lives. T<span style="background:white">he

lives of 823,000 children could be saved every year and 20,000 mothers’ lives

could be saved if breastfeeding rates were improved [</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01024-7/fulltext" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue;background:white">Victora et al., 2016</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">].<span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__tyjcwt"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Mothers and infants need

support and care from family, community, health systems, workplaces and

government to breastfeed<span style="color:red"> </span><span style="color:windowtext">for as long as they desire. UHC would increase maternal and child

health through increased access to improved quality prenatal care, birth in a

baby-friendly facility <span style="background:white">[</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1595-7" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue;background:white">Ogbo et al., 2015</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">]</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">, and

continued skilled breastfeeding support.<span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a name="m_-7134402601968871966__3dy6vkm"></a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br>

WABA’s </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://waba.org.my/warm-chain/" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Warm

Chain of Support for Breastfeeding</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> links

breastfeeding supporters at all levels to provide a continuum of care for

mothers and babies for the first 1,000 days [<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://waba.org.my/warm-chain/" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">WABA, 2018</a><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">].

Care begins long before the baby is born and continues to 2 years old and

beyond. Consistent information and support throughout the warm chain will

ensure that the breastfeeding dyad benefits from ongoing support and skilled

assistance. All parents need access to up-to-date, accurate and evidence-based

information and high-quality support to make their own informed, autonomous

decisions about health. <span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Peer support in the community is vital to

empower mothers to attain their breastfeeding goals [</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177434" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:blue">Shakaya et al.,

2017</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">]. La Leche League International (LLLI) and

other peer breastfeeding support organisations provide help in the community

for mothers and families to continue breastfeeding beyond the healthcare

setting. LLLI’s mission is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through

mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to

promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the

healthy development of the baby and mother.<span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:white" lang="EN-US">Breastfeeding

and UHC go hand in hand. Family and maternal health care and improvements in

mother and baby-friendly practices in hospitals are critical elements of UHC,

while breastfeeding provides the foundation to optimal health for infants,

young children, and adults. Breastfeeding and UHC can work together to support

families to “</span><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">realise their right to the highest possible

level of health<span style="background:white">.” <span></span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US">#HealthForAll #WorldHealthDay2018 #breastfeeding

#UHC #WABA # LLLI #EBF6 #WarmChain #WHD2018 #WBW2018<span></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span></p>

<br></div><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="m_-7134402601968871966gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif" color="#0000ff"><b>World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action</b></font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">P.O. Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia</font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">Tel: 604 6584816 Fax: 604 6572655</font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">Email: <a href="mailto:waba@waba.org.my" target="_blank">waba@waba.org.my</a></font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">Websites: <a href="http://www.waba.org.my" target="_blank">www.waba.org.my</a></font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">             <a href="http://www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org" target="_blank">www.worldbreastfeedingweek.<wbr>org</a></font></div><div><font size="1" face="verdana, sans-serif">             <a href="http://www.breastfeedinggateway.org" target="_blank">www.breastfeedinggateway.org</a></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

<img id="m_-7134402601968871966pw_tpl" style="border:none;display:none;width:0px;height:0px" src="https://app.prosperworks.com/tp/t/Mzg2NzkyfHx8fHwyMDU4ODl8fHx8fDE1MjI3NDY0OTEwODM=/space.gif?creator=peiching.chuah@waba.org.my"></div>

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