World Breastfeeding Week: better access to breastfeeding support to save 820,000 lives each year

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Extract from the article: A l’occasion de la semaine mondiale de l'allaitement maternel, du 1er au 7 août 2024, les chefs du Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance (UNICEF) et de l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) ont appelé à un meilleur accès au soutien à l'allaiteme

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To mark World Breastfeeding Week, from 1 to 7 August 2024, the heads of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for better access to breastfeeding support to reduce health inequalities and ensure the survival and development of mothers and babies.

Breast milk contains antibodies that protect babies from illness and death. This is particularly important in emergency situations, where breastfeeding ensures a safe, nutritious and accessible food source for infants and young children. Breastfeeding also reduces the burden of childhood illness and the risk of certain types of cancer and non-communicable diseases for mothers.

More needs to be done

Over the last 12 years, the number of infants under 6 months who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10% worldwide. Today, 48% of infants worldwide benefit from this excellent start in life. In practical terms, this means that breastfeeding has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of babies. While this major advance brings us closer to the World Health Organisation's goal of increasing the rate of exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50% by 2025, there are still some thorny issues to overcome. When mothers receive the support they need to breastfeed their babies, the whole population benefits. According to the latest available data, increasing breastfeeding rates could save the lives of more than 820,000 children every year.

During the crucial early stages of growth and development, the antibodies present in breast milk protect infants against disease and help them to survive. This is all the more important in emergency situations, when breast milk is a safe, nutritious and accessible food for infants and young children.Breastfeeding protects babies against childhood illnesses and reduces the risk of certain types of cancer and non-communicable diseases in mothers.

On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week, whose theme this year is "Bridging the Gaps: Breastfeeding Support for All", UNICEF and the WHO are highlighting the need to improve breastfeeding support, a vital measure for reducing health inequalities and protecting the rights of mothers and infants to survive and thrive.

Support for mothers is essential

An estimated 4.5 billion people (more than half the world's population) do not have access to all essential health services.As a result, many women do not receive the support they need to breastfeed their babies to the best of their ability, including health advice given with empathy and respect by qualified staff, and support throughout the breastfeeding process.To combat inequalities in healthcare and provide effective and timely support to breastfeeding mothers and their families, it is essential to collect reliable data. At present, only half the countries in the world collect data on breastfeeding rates. To support progress in this area, data are also needed on the policies implemented to make breastfeeding possible, such as family-friendly employment policies, supervision of the marketing of breast-milk substitutes and investment in breastfeeding.Improved surveillance systems will also help to boost the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies and programmes, better inform decision-making and ensure that support mechanisms are adequately funded.

Jean ELI