India ranks low on
breastfeeding practices
India is among the
world's five largest emerging economies where investment in breastfeeding is
significantly low resulting in an annual economic loss of $14 billion because
of child deaths and cognitive losses caused from poor breastfeeding
practices, according to a report.
In India, less than 50% of children are breastfed within an hour of birth, whereas the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months stood at 55%. Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding can prevent nearly 99,499 deaths of children every year due to diarrhoea and pneumonia.
In India, less than 50% of children are breastfed within an hour of birth, whereas the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months stood at 55%. Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding can prevent nearly 99,499 deaths of children every year due to diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Five countries -
China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria - alone account for over 2,36,000
child death every year because of inadequate breast feeding. These countries
are together estimated to incur an economic cost of $119 billion every year due
to mortality and cognitive losses, says the report by UNICEF and WHO in
collaboration with the Global Breastfeeding Collective.
"We strongly recommend exclusive breastfeeding for first six months. This not only protects children by providing them immunity against a lot of diseases, but also help mothers reduce weight and chances of breast cancer," says Dr Indu Taneja, senior consultant (obstetrics & gynaecology) at Fortis.
The report also
highlights the growing number of deaths in India among women due to cancer
while Type II diabetes is also attributable to inadequate breastfeeding.
"Breast milk works like a baby's first vaccine, protecting infants from potentially deadly diseases and giving them all the nourishment they need to survive and thrive," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
According
to Dr Taneja, though awareness among women for breastfeeding has increased, the
investment in infrastructure mainly in workplaces remain negligible in India.
07.08.2017
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average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people
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