DATE : 7.30.2010
SUBJECT : Hunger, Disease

World Breastfeeding Week will be celebrated from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) says in a press release today that "Breast milk is the ideal food for newborns and infants. It is safe, gives babies the nutrients they need for healthy development and contains antibodies that help protect infants from common childhood illnesses." WHO notes further that the majority of women still don't breastfeed and that millions of babies lives would be saved if they did. "It is estimated that around 35% of infants aged 0 to 6 months are exclusively breastfed in the world today," says Dr Elizabeth Mason, Director of WHO's Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Development. "But if all babies and young children were breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life and then given nutritious complementary food with continued breastfeeding up to two years of age, the lives of an additional 1.5 million children under five would be saved every year." The organization that began World Campaign, Planet Earth Foundation, began a massive ongoing breastfeeding public service ad (PSA) campaign in the US as part of its Campaign To End Hunger nearly two decades ago, still seen today. The program mainly worked with, the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) said: "State and local WIC staff who have seen the PSAs have said they are excellent and beautiful. Once again, your creative team has produced exceptional PSAs that are very appealing to the target population." The late Lawton Chiles, Governor of Florida, wrote of the historic national work being done, urging participation, saying "the state of Florida passed landmark legislation supporting mothers who breast feed their children. The 'breastfeeding bill' led to national media attention, with prominent coverage in the New York Times, on CNN and elsewhere. ...In support of the nationally acclaimed non-profit public service media program, the Campaign To End Hunger, the state of Florida, HRS and the Florida WIC program have joined forces to launch the enclosed "Breastfeeding Is Best" television and radio public service advertising (PSA) campaign. Others have done pioneering world worldwide and the importance of breastfeeding as literally mother nature's git to end hunger among babies, and bring proper nutrition, health and development to all infants cannot be overstated.