World Breastfeeding week 01 Aug – 07 August

Author and institutional affiliation: Annet Mary Namusisi, Uganda Public Health Fellowship Program, Uganda National Institute of Public Health, Kampala. Correspondence: Tel: 256785859760, Email: annetnamusisi@uniph.go.ug

Every year from 1st – 7th August, we globally celebrate the World Breastfeeding week, with different themes each year.

The theme for breastfeeding this year is to close the gap and support breast feeding for all mothers.

This is aimed at ensuring equity for all breastfeeding mothers, especially the vulnerable ones by promoting the enabling environments that help women to breastfeed – including support in the community and the workplace, with adequate protection by government policies and laws, as well as sharing information on breastfeeding benefits and strategies.

Breast feeding is the number one strategy to boost children’s health status right from birth to at least 6 months of age, ultimately reducing neonatal and under 5 mortality rates.