| In the developing world, children are dying every | | | | of diarrhea that is directly attributable to being feed |
| minute of the day due to lack of breastfeeding. A | | | | formula milk. |
| recent report from the government of Uganda | | | | If mothers in developing countries know the risk they |
| suggests that at 'least 4000 infants and young | | | | run when feeding their children formula milk, why do |
| children die everyday in Uganda due to lack of | | | | they continue to do so? The answer is that they |
| breastfeeding'. Can this be true, and if so, why? | | | | don't know the health risks. The health minister of |
| The figure above can be disputed. The Ugandan | | | | Uganda, Dr Richard Nduhura, blamed the increasingly |
| government lacks the sophisticated data analysis of | | | | poor breastfeeding culture in the country on |
| Western government, but it cannot be denied that | | | | aggressive advertising for bottle feeding, where |
| each year thousands of babies and infants die each | | | | marketing gimmicks and slogans are used to discredit |
| year in this country due to lack of breastfeeding. The | | | | breastfeeding. "Those advertisers claim breastfeeding |
| World Health Organization - an organization with the | | | | is best but bottle feeding is almost as good as |
| best data gathering expertise the Western world can | | | | breastfeeding," Nduhura said. In developing countries, |
| offer - estimates that 1.5 million children die each year | | | | this is simply not true. |
| because they are not breastfed. The WHO states: | | | | Aggressive marketing is clearly to blame for the |
| "It has been estimated that improved breastfeeding | | | | widespread desertion of breastfeeding. Manufacturers |
| practices could save some 1.5 million children a year. | | | | of formula milk - like cigarette manufacturers - have |
| Yet few of the 129 million babies born each year | | | | seen sales of their product decline in Western |
| receive optimal breastfeeding and some are not | | | | society, but they still continue to increase profits. This |
| breastfed at all. Early cessation of breastfeeding in | | | | increase in profits is due to dumping their product on |
| favour of commercial breastmilk substitutes, needless | | | | the developing world. |
| supplementation, and poorly timed complementary | | | | African countries - and others - have further |
| practices are still too common." | | | | complications due to widespread HIV infectivity. Many |
| But why does the use of formula milk lead to so | | | | mothers have to make the hard decision to either |
| many infant deaths? There are two main reasons. | | | | breastfeed their baby if they know themselves to be |
| The first being that only breast milk can provide the | | | | infected with HIV, or to use formula milk. Mothers |
| nutrients and antibodies that a baby requires to grow | | | | with HIV who breastfeed, have a 5 to 20 per cent |
| and fight off infection. For babies born into poorer | | | | chance of passing on the infection to the child. |
| and less sanitized conditions than we have in the | | | | However, bottle feeding is actually more likely to |
| West, this is vital. Formula milk is non-biological: it | | | | harm their child in countries that contain large |
| contains none of the benefits that mother's breast | | | | numbers of HIV infected mothers. |
| milk can provide. Formula milk is stagnant. What is | | | | What can be done? Many developing countries are |
| meant by this is that mother's breast milk changes | | | | finally waking up to the problem of mothers not |
| constituency throughout the early months - and | | | | breastfeeding and are now trying to reverse the |
| years - of a growing child; not just day to day, | | | | trend. We, in the West, can also make a difference. |
| month to month, but during the actual feed itself. | | | | We can begin by breastfeeding and by not |
| The second, and by far the greatest reason why | | | | purchasing formula milk. We can also stop buying |
| babies die from baby formula in poorer countries, is | | | | other products made by formula milk manufacturers. |
| due to the lack of clean water. Mothers in many | | | | We can also write or email the manufacturers |
| developing countries don't have access to clean | | | | directly. We can also join breastfeeding circles and |
| drinking water and so are forced to feed formula milk | | | | organizations and voice our concerns through these |
| to their children that is made with contaminated | | | | bodies. Public pressure can make a difference. |
| water. Over a million children die each year because | | | | |