Phl urged to revive breastfeeding culture

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines must improve on five aspects to effectively revive the breastfeeding culture, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

In a statement, WHO said the Philippines and Vietnam “have taken a step closer to achieving” Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 which call for two-third reduction in under-five mortality between 1990 and 2015, and for a three-quarter reduction in the maternal mortality ratio, respectively.

WHO said Vietnam has posted progress by providing weekly supplements of iron and folic acid, while the Philippines has encouraged breastfeeding.

For the Philippines, WHO has underscored the need to focus on five aspects to revive the breastfeeding culture.

These are the implementation of Essential Newborn Care protocol in hospitals to increase breastfeeding initiation rates within the first hour of life; reaching out to one million pregnant women through an integrated marketing communication effort, and full implementation of the Expanded Rooming-In Act, which includes provisions for breastfeeding breaks and support for working women.

The two other aspects are the integration of Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding in the curricula of all health workers, and the strengthening of the implementation, monitoring and reporting of violations of the Milk Code, which regulates the marketing of breastmilk substitutes.

Citing the Philippines’ National Demography Health Survey in 2008, WHO said the exclusive breastfeeding rate in the Philippines for the first six months was low at 34 percent, while the rate of initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of infants remains at 54 percent.

“The figures may not be very dramatic, but they suggest that the decline in breastfeeding in the Philippines is reversible,” WHO said.