Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Unicef to observe 'world breastfeeding week' from August 27

Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in collaboration with Unicef will observe World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) from August 27 to September 1 to highlight the critical role of breastfeeding in child survival, growth and development. The main theme of WBW 2012 is "Understanding the past, planning the future". Important activities to be undertaken during WBW will include dissemination of these important messages related infant and young child feeding. - Early initiation of breastfeeding within first half hour of life. - Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life. - Appropriate complementary feeding from age of six months along with continued breastfeeding till age of two years. According to Unicef's state of the World's Children Report 2011, 136.7 million babies are born world-wide and only 32.6 percent of them are breastfed exclusively in the first six months. Despite compelling evidence on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and sustained efforts to encourage it, progress is patchy. Global rates for exclusive breastfeeding for infants under six months of age crept from 32 percent in 1995 to 39 percent in 2010. Situation is not different for Pakistan where the exclusive breastfeeding rate sneaked from 26 percent in 1995 to 36 percent in 2006-07 which is indicative of the fact that the rates have barely improved. Each year Pakistan witnesses preventable deaths of 432,000 children under-five. Among the under-five deaths 11 percent are caused by diarrhoea. In KPK province 100 of every 1,000 children die before their fifth birthday. Of these, the majority (76) die in the first year of life due to preventable diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia. These diseases are seasonal calamities and preventable. Most of these precious lives can be saved by simple knowledge about prevention and promotion of key messages related to breastfeeding and measures at home and health care seeking practices relating to these diseases. World Breastfeeding Week is an opportunity to renew focus on the critical role of breastfeeding in reducing childhood illness and mortality. In order to achieve success to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates, there is a need of combination of strong Government leadership, comprehensive programmes, community engagement and broad partnerships. To attain and build on success to achieve results for infants and young children, especially hardest to reach we must better monitor our progress. This echoes the theme of this year's. World Breastfeeding Week "Understanding the past, planning for the future". The main objective of WBW 2012 is to recall what has happened in past 20 years on infant and young child feeding and to assess the status of implementation of Global strategy for Infant and Young child feeding (IYCF). This event is important to call for action in order to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programme on breastfeeding and IYCF. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) jointly developed and launched the Global Strategy for IYCF in 2002 reaffirming the four innocent targets set in 1995 and setting additional targets. The global strategy has identified a clear need for optimal infant feeding practices in reducing malnutrition as well as poverty. It is based on human rights approach and calls for the development of comprehensive national policies on infant and young child feeding. It provides guidance on how to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond together with adequate, appropriate and local complementary foods starting from the age of six months. Provincial Nutrition cell at Department of Health KP is launching the World Breastfeeding Week 2012 from August 27 to September 1.