2004-8-15
This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development
Report.
Health experts commonly advise mothers to feed babies only breast
milk for the first six months. They say no other food is more
valuable to the development of a child. The World Health
Organization says children can be breastfed as part of their diet
for up to two years or longer. Yet it says only one out of three
babies is fed only breast milk for even just four months.
Breast milk helps protect children
from infections and disease. It can prevent common sicknesses, such
as diarrhea and pneumonia. And it can help babies recover more
quickly if they do get sick.
Studies also show that mothers who breastfeed reduce their risk
of cancer in the reproductive organs. Breastfeeding also saves
money, compared to milk substitutes.
The first week in August is World Breastfeeding Week. The
campaign this year involved the idea of exclusive breastfeeding. The
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action say babies can be fed drops
or syrups with extra vitamins and minerals. But exclusive means no
other foods or drinks for six months.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF, the United Nations
Children's Fund, offer some steps for mothers. First, they say
breastfeeding should start within the first hour after a baby's
birth. Second, the baby should not receive any other food or drink,
including water. Third, babies should be breastfed whenever they are
hungry – day or night. And, lastly, the agencies say there should be
no use of bottles, pacifiers or other equipment.
International health experts say traditional ways to measure
child growth do not recognize things like the importance of
breastfeeding. So the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving
more than six million dollars to the W.H.O. for a six-year project.
The money will be used to develop new tools to measure the health
and well-being of young people.
Current growth standards describe how children grow at different
times. The new standards will also be linked to motor development.
Experts say the message here is that physical growth is not the only
part of normal development.
Doctor Mercedes de Onis heads the W.H.O. project. She says the
current growth standards used by ninety-nine countries do not
support international health goals. She notes that one of these
goals is to increase breastfeeding.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill
Moss. This is Gwen Outen.