Breastfeeding ensures child health and survival1 August 2012 – On the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week and 10 years after the launch of the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, the world is looking back to gauge the success of efforts to support all women to optimally feed and care for their infants and young children, and also to plan what more can be done.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. Together with complementary feeding, it can save about a million child lives every year. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life as a way to improve child survival and health.

However, globally only 37% of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.