Babies and mothers worldwide fail by lack of investment in breastfeeding

Kolkata, Dec 25: Over 820 000 children's lives could be saved every year among children under 5 years, if all children 0–23 months were optimally breastfed.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Breastfeeding improves IQ, school attendance, and is associated with higher income in adult life. 
According to The World Health Organisatin (WHO), globally, only 40 per cent of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed.
WHO actively promotes breastfeeding as the best source of nourishment for infants and young children.
Globally in 2016, 155 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), 52 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height), and 41 million were overweight or obese.
Improving child development and reducing health costs through breastfeeding results in economic gains for individual families as well as at the national level.
Undernutrition is estimated to be associated with 2.7 million child deaths annually or 45 per cent of all child deaths. Infant and young child feeding is a key area to improve child survival and promote healthy growth and development.
The first 2 years of a child’s life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease, and fosters better development overall.
WHO and UNICEF recommend: early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth; exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life; and introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at 6 months together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.
However, many infants and children do not receive optimal feeding.
Recommendations have been refined to also address the needs for infants born to HIV-infected mothers. Antiretroviral drugs now allow these children to exclusively breastfeed until they are 6 months old and continue breastfeeding until at least 12 months of age with a significantly reduced risk of HIV transmission.
Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months has many benefits for the infant and mother.
Chief among these is protection against gastrointestinal infections which is observed not only in developing but also industrialized countries.
Early initiation of breastfeeding, within 1 hour of birth, protects the newborn from acquiring infections and reduces newborn mortality. The risk of mortality due to diarrhoea and other infections can increase in infants who are either partially breastfed or not breastfed at all.
Breast-milk is also an important source of energy and nutrients in children aged 6–23 months. It can provide half or more of a child’s energy needs between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and one third of energy needs between 12 and 24 months. Breast-milk is also a critical source of energy and nutrients during illness, and reduces mortality among children who are malnourished. UNI