The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Deaths of 37,000 neonatal and 52,000 children under five years could be averted annually if country's all children are breastfed properly.

This was disclosed at the inaugural function of World Breastfeeding Week organized by Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF) at Child-Mother Institute at Matuail in the outskirts of the city yesterday.

Addressing the inaugural function as the chief guest eminent child specialist and pioneer of breastfeeding campaign Dr MQK Talukder said a child who is breastfed properly is protected from various disease.

On the other hand, he said, a child who is not breastfed properly is exposed to various diseases, when he/she got admission to a hospital for treatment.

Dr Talukder, the Chairman of the Women and Child Health Centre and Adviser of BBF, emphasised on the need for taking collective effort to create mother support group to provide support to mothers in breastfeeding.

'Breastfeeding protects health of both the child and the mother,' he said.

He said around 200 children are died in our country everyday due to malnutrition, of which one of the main reasons is not to breastfeed children properly.

Presided over by BBF Chairperson Dr SK Roy, the function was also addressed, among others, by UNFPA representative Pornchai Suchitta, UNICEF Bangladesh representative Carel de Rooy, Country Director of Save the Children Margarita Clark, ICDDR'B scientist Dr Iqbal Kabir, IPHN Director Dr Fatema Parveen Chowdhury, NNP Executive Director Biman Kumar Saha, BBF secretary Sufia Khatun and Dr Momtaz Huq. Margarita Clark said Bangladesh has made commendable progress in reducing the overall under-5 child mortality rate in the last one decade from 116 per thousand live births in 1996-97 to 65 in 2007.

She said the neonatal mortality rate is unacceptably high at 37 per thousand live births. It has to be halved, if the MDG-4 target is to be reached.

Carel de Rooy said early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months is critical for a child's survival and growth.

He said the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh is still as low as 43 per cent while the early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth is only 24 per cent.

Pornchai Suchitta said breastfeeding could help save the healthcare costs to a large extent.

Reduction in infant mortality can lead to acceptance of the small family norm, he observed.