Mimi Machakaire/Lijeng Ranooe
QUEEN ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso has called on stakeholders including the World Health Organisation (WHO) to vigorously encourage breastfeeding among women in Lesotho as studies have shown this prevented at least a million potential child and maternal deaths worldwide per year.
Her Majesty said this during the recent World Breastfeeding Week commemorations in Maseru.
World Breastfeeding Week commemorations are held annually during the first week of August in more than 120 countries. The commemorations which began in 1993, are aimed at promoting exclusive breastfeeding for children the first six months of their lives which yields tremendous health benefits, including critical nutrients and protection from deadly diseases.
Speaking at the commemorations, Her Majesty said breastfeeding was critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health by reducing infant mortality rates as well as breast cancer in mothers.
“Breastfeeding is a critical first step and foundation towards a child’s future health and well-being,” Her Majesty said.
“Studies have shown that breastfeeding is a critical component to creating a more healthy, prosperous and sustainable planet.
“Evidence proves that increasing breastfeeding world-wide could prevent over 800 000 child deaths and 200 000 deaths of mothers from breast cancer.”
According to the WHO’s website, the Lancet Breastfeeding Series finds that more than 800 000 child deaths could be prevented annually (about 13 percent of all under five child deaths) by improving rates of breastfeeding.
It further states that the costs of lower cognitive abilities associated with the failure to breastfeed amount are more than US$300 billion a year globally.
WHO also states that for each of the first two years a mother breastfeeds over her lifetime, she decreases her risk of developing invasive breast cancer by six percent.
She also benefits from reduced ovarian cancer risk. Approximately 200 000 breast cancer deaths are prevented each year by breastfeeding and improved rates of breastfeeding could prevent another 200 000 deaths per year.
Her Majesty also emphasised that prevention of breast cancer through breastfeeding could contribute to the “reduction of one of the world’s leading causes of death in the modern world”.
“As a practical step towards protecting the survival and good health of infants and mothers, breastfeeding can play a pivotal role in several ways towards the 2030 agenda for the attainment of sustainable development,” Her Majesty said.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 SDGs and 169 targets and it was adopted on 25 September 2015 by Heads of State and Government at a special United Nations Summit in the United States of America.
The Agenda is a commitment to eradicating world-wide poverty and achieving sustainable development by 2030.
Her Majesty said that breastfeeding could be linked to 11 of the 17 SDGs.
“This is because breastmilk is a complete nutrition for infants from birth to the first six months of life. Nutrition relates to SDGs two and three that are concerned with hunger, health and well-being.
“Secondly although the expenses are not yet quantifiable in monetary terms as a strong economic case for investment in prolonged breastfeeding, this focuses on SDG one, eight and 10, ending poverty, promoting economic growth and reducing inequity. For example, breastfed children have a higher IQ development capacity and stand a good chance for greater schooling than children who are not breastfed,” Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso said.
Her Majesty also said there were environmental costs associated with the failure to breastfeed through use of environmentally unsafe products such as bottles.
“Breastmilk is a natural renewable food that is environmentally safe, produced and delivered to the baby without pollution packaging or any waste.
“It is the most sustained way of feeding a child. Breastmilk does not require industry for production, it is created and consumed with the minimal ecological footprint,” Her Majesty said.
Meanwhile, WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed at the same event that Lesotho had surpassed the UNICEF goal of achieving 50 percent exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life globally by the year 2025.
Lesotho has reached 67 percent exclusive breastfeeding.
However, it was revealed that Lesotho had more to accomplish as only 30% of mothers in the country breastfeed until the recommended twenty-four months.
WHO Representative, Cornelia Atsyor, said more need to be done to educate mothers about the benefits of breastmilk.
“Breastfeeding, though regarded as instinctive behaviour and a natural process, requires hands on training, mentoring, and demonstrations and extensive training on positioning of the baby for a good latch on.
“Mothers need accurate information to dispel myths associated with breastfeeding such as giving water to infants under six months of age. The importance of breastfeeding as the best nutrition and fluid choice for infants from birth to six months of age cannot be over empathised,” Dr Atsyor said.
Dr Atsyor further stated that breastfeeding for working mothers remained the biggest hurdle in the realisation of the 50 percent exclusive breastfeeding goal.
She said there was need to create conducive breastfeeding environments at work places.
World Food Programme (WFP) Deputy Country Director, Marian Hsunhee Yun, said that although Lesotho had performed above the global rate, the challenge would be to maintain, increase and sustain it as poor breastfeeding practises still contributed to more than 8000 deaths per year.
“Breastfeeding is a vital part of sustainable development and a non-negotiable component of global action to end malnutrition. We must therefore advocate for breastfeeding to be positioned as a vital part of the SDGs.
“Increased rates of breastfeeding can only be achieved by cooperating and collaborating across sectors and generations. We must focus on supporting the government and the people of Lesotho to get right the policies, regulations and programmes that can protect, promote and support optimal breastfeeding practices,” Ms Yun said.