World Breastfeeding Week

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Question: World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is observed in the first week of …
(a) August
(b)July
(c)September
(d) October
Ans: (a)
Related facts:-

  • World Breastfeeding Week is being observed throughout the world during 1-7 August, 2017.
  • The theme of the World Breastfeeding Week in 2017 is ‘Sustaining Breastfeeding Together’.
  • It is worth mentioning that it is celebrated in the first week of August every year to encourage and support breastfeeding.
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has started the program ‘MAA: Mother’s Absolute Affection’ at the national level to promote breastfeeding.
  • In addition, “National Guidelines on Lactation Management Centres in Public Health Facilities” have been recently released to facilitate establishment of lactation management centres for ensuring that the sick and pre-term babies are fed with safe human breast milk.
  • Breastfeeding is an important efficient and cost-effective intervention promoting child survival and health. Breastfeeding within an hour of birth could prevent 20% of the newborn deaths.
  • Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to die from pnuemonia and 11 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than children who are exclusively breastfed, which are two leading causes of death in children under-five years of age.
  • As per recent data, initial breastfeeding has been nearly doubled in last decade. i.e from 23.4 per cent to 41.6 per cent (NFHs-3, 2005-06 and 4, 2015-16).

Related Links:-
http://www.who.int/life-course/news/events/2017-breastfeeding-week/en/
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=169510
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintHindiRelease.aspx?relid=66385