World Breastfeeding Week began on Saturday (1 August) to highlight the importance of breast milk for children’s healthy growth, immunity and mothers’ health. As every year, the week is being observed with various programmes in more than 170 countries from 1 to 7 August.
The main aim of the programme is to raise awareness of breastfeeding and to encourage it, to protect the health of mothers and children.
World Breastfeeding Week was first observed by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). The initiative began in 1992, but its foundation was laid on 14 February 1991, when WABA was formed to encourage breastfeeding worldwide. The week is now observed globally with the participation of UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and various countries and partner organisations.
Bangladesh has observed World Breastfeeding Week since 2010. The Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation has again organised a week of awareness programmes. The 2026 theme has been set as “Breastfeeding at the start of life: let us accelerate sustainable action.”
A study published in the international medical journal The Lancet in 2016 said breast milk protects children from various infections, aids brain development and plays an important role in reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes later in life.
The same study also noted that regular breastfeeding helps reduce mothers’ risk of breast and ovarian cancer. According to the researchers, a significant rise in breastfeeding rates worldwide could prevent the deaths of about 823,000 children under the age of five each year.
The study warned that failing to give children enough breast milk can raise the risk not only of infectious diseases but also, in the long term, of non-communicable diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Researchers therefore advised starting breastfeeding right after birth and giving only breast milk for the first six months.
To mark the launch of World Breastfeeding Week, a discussion has been organised at 9:45 am on Saturday at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain will attend as chief guest. State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhit and the prime minister’s special assistant on health, Dr S M Ziauddin Haider, will attend as special guests.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report