Breastfeeding can help reduce 13 percent of the rate mortality ofchildren under five years old, or save about 6 million children frominfectious diseases, a health official has said.
HealthDeputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien made the statement at a ceremony tolaunch Vietnam’s Breastfeeding Week 2014 in Hanoi on August 1, which wasjointly organised by the Ministry of Health, the UN Children’s Fund(UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Alive & Thriveproject (A&T).
Several activities during the weekwill raise public awareness on the importance of breastfeeding to helpchildren grow physically and mentally well.
Anumber of scientific researches show that feeding babies with breastmilk but nothing for the first six months of their life is beneficialfor the health of newborns as mother’s milk provides the necessarynutrients for the babies to grow and protects them from severaldiseases, Tien said.
In June 2012, the National Assembly adoptedthe amended Labour Law, which extends maternity leave to six months. TheNA also passed a Law on Advertising, which includes a ban on themarketing of breast milk substitutes for children less than 24 months.Both laws took effect in 2013.
These moves have made it easierfor mothers to only breastfeed during the first six months of a child’slife, as well as in the following months.
A national action planon bringing up babies in the 2012-15 period is implemented in thecountry, focusing on taking care for children within 1,000 first days oftheir lives to ensure a maximum mental and physical health for them.According to the National Institute of Nutrition, only 19.6 percent ofchildren in Vietnam were breastfed completely in the first six monthsof their lives in 2010. Meanwhile, there has been a rise in the rate ofchildren bottle-fed in the first six months of their lives in recentyears.
Roger Mathisen, Chief Representative of the UNICEF’snutrition programme in Vietnam said that the adoption of the amendedLabour Law and the Law on Advertising has made Vietnam become one ofleading countries in Asia Pacific in developing protective laws thatbenefit mothers and their children.
The same day, a photoexhibition highlighting the invaluable worth of breast milk was alsokicked off at the Vietnam Women Museum in Hanoi to respond to the week.-VNA
HealthDeputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien made the statement at a ceremony tolaunch Vietnam’s Breastfeeding Week 2014 in Hanoi on August 1, which wasjointly organised by the Ministry of Health, the UN Children’s Fund(UNICEF), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Alive & Thriveproject (A&T).
Several activities during the weekwill raise public awareness on the importance of breastfeeding to helpchildren grow physically and mentally well.
Anumber of scientific researches show that feeding babies with breastmilk but nothing for the first six months of their life is beneficialfor the health of newborns as mother’s milk provides the necessarynutrients for the babies to grow and protects them from severaldiseases, Tien said.
In June 2012, the National Assembly adoptedthe amended Labour Law, which extends maternity leave to six months. TheNA also passed a Law on Advertising, which includes a ban on themarketing of breast milk substitutes for children less than 24 months.Both laws took effect in 2013.
These moves have made it easierfor mothers to only breastfeed during the first six months of a child’slife, as well as in the following months.
A national action planon bringing up babies in the 2012-15 period is implemented in thecountry, focusing on taking care for children within 1,000 first days oftheir lives to ensure a maximum mental and physical health for them.According to the National Institute of Nutrition, only 19.6 percent ofchildren in Vietnam were breastfed completely in the first six monthsof their lives in 2010. Meanwhile, there has been a rise in the rate ofchildren bottle-fed in the first six months of their lives in recentyears.
Roger Mathisen, Chief Representative of the UNICEF’snutrition programme in Vietnam said that the adoption of the amendedLabour Law and the Law on Advertising has made Vietnam become one ofleading countries in Asia Pacific in developing protective laws thatbenefit mothers and their children.
The same day, a photoexhibition highlighting the invaluable worth of breast milk was alsokicked off at the Vietnam Women Museum in Hanoi to respond to the week.-VNA
