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Several countries report baby foods producers invoking unfounded fears that breastfeeding can transmit virus.
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Health care workers need to have the resources and information to effectively support mothers to breastfeed.
DUBAI: The WHO and UNICEF have said that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions in breastfeeding support services and there was a need for prioritizing breastfeeding-friendly environments for mothers and babies.
“While there has been progress in breastfeeding rates in the last four decades – with a 50 per cent increase in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding globally – the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the fragility of those gains,” the statement said.
Several countries have reported that producers of baby foods have compounded these risks by invoking unfounded fears that breastfeeding can transmit COVID-19 and marketing their products as a safer alternative to breastfeeding.
The statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week said at the start of 2021, governments, donors, civil society and the private sector united to launch the Nutrition for Growth Year of Action.
“The Year of Action is a historic opportunity to transform the way the world tackles the global commitment to eliminate child malnutrition…breastfeeding is central to realizing this commitment,” they said.
The statement reads: “Initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed by exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond offer a powerful line of defense against all forms of child malnutrition, including wasting and obesity. Breastfeeding also acts as babies’ first vaccine, protecting them against many common childhood illnesses.”
The two organizations called for ensuring the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes – established to protect mothers from aggressive marketing practices by the baby food industry – is fully implemented by governments, health workers and industry.
Health care workers need to have the resources and information they need to effectively support mothers to breastfeed, including through global efforts such as the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, and guidelines on breastfeeding counseling.
Employers should allow women the time and space they need to breastfeed; including paid parental leave with longer maternity leave; safe places for breastfeeding in the workplace; access to affordable and good-quality childcare; and universal child benefits and adequate wages.