Ceremony organised to mark World Breastfeeding Month

PESHAWAR: The Nutrition Cell of the Health Department, in collaboration with UNICEF, organised a ceremony in connection with the World Breastfeeding Month.

The event was attended by Director of Nutrition Dr Fazal Majeed, Additional Director General Dr Shahid Younas, Dr Basit Saleem, Dr Ikramullah, Dr Shaheen Afridi, UNICEF officials, and representatives of the Pakistan Paediatric Association.

Director of Nutrition Dr Fazal Majeed stated that the purpose of celebrating the month is to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding for children. World Breastfeeding Month is celebrated every year in August.

Speakers at the ceremony emphasised that formula milk is not a substitute for breast milk. This year alone, formula milk worth Rs114 billion was sold in Pakistan. Only one in two children receives breast milk within the first hour of birth.

Breastfeeding can save the lives of over 800,000 children under the age of five worldwide, with 87% of these children being under six months old.The speakers highlighted that the mortality rate from diarrhoea after two months of birth is 25% higher in children who drink bottle milk compared to those who drink breast milk.

Excessive use of formula milk is causing various diseases in children, including allergies, skin diseases, ear infections, and respiratory diseases.“Breastfeeding can control 88% of deaths from infections in children under three months old. Similarly, breastfeeding can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea in children by 54%,” said one of the speakers.Additionally, the speakers stated that cow’s and goat’s milk are not healthy substitutes for children at all.