Under the motto “ adequate exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life “, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MSPS) announces that it is joining forces with the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) to organize the 13th edition of the National Campaign for the Promotion of Breastfeeding, which will will take place from June 5 to July 5, 2023.
The objective of this campaign is to promote the practice of early and exclusive breastfeeding, where the infant is only breastfed, without any other food or liquid (no water, no artificial milk, no tea, no of plants, or juice, or others), underlines the Ministry of Health in a press release.
To achieve this objective, the campaign will make it possible to set up several awareness-raising actions aimed at health professionals. Information and awareness days will be organized at the territorial level, involving the departments concerned, the partner sectors and civil society, indicates the MSPS, in order to raise awareness of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months. of the child’s life.
The MSPS, in partnership with the INDH, has also prepared various audiovisual, printed and digital communication materials to highlight the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. These benefits are based on several scientific studies which have demonstrated its impact on the health of children, promoting optimal growth during childhood and adolescence, specifies the same source.
Indeed, breast milk, composed of 88% water, alone provides the quantities of water necessary for the baby. Giving water to infants during the first six months of life is a common practice with adverse consequences on their nutritional health as well as on lactation.
The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding are not only for the child, but also for the mother, the ministry points out, noting that it reduces the risk of many diseases in women, such as breast and ovarian cancer. , diabetes and heart disease.
It is also important to highlight that the World Health Organization (WHO) set a global nutritional goal of 50% exclusive breastfeeding by 2025, during the World Health Assembly. WHO recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding with complementary foods until at least two years of age.