World Breastfeeding Week, commemorated annually from 1st to 7th August, is a global campaign led by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, and civil society organizations. The 2025 theme aligns with WHO?s ongoing ?Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures? campaign, emphasizing the need for continued investment in breastfeeding to support healthier lives and stronger societies.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective interventions for ensuring child survival, health, and development. Despite its benefits, fewer than half of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed worldwide. Breast milk provides not only nutrition but also immunological protection, emotional bonding, and developmental benefits that last into adolescence and adulthood.

Why Breastfeeding Matters for Public Health

Breastfeeding has profound public health implications. It provides protection against gastrointestinal infections, supports the child?s immune system, and significantly reduces the risk of childhood obesity. For mothers, it reduces the risk of breast cancer and promotes postpartum recovery. Breast milk also remains a critical source of energy and nutrients providing over 50% of a child?s energy needs between 6 and 12 months, and one-third between 12 and 24 months.

Connecting Breastfeeding with WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)

The success of breastfeeding, especially in low-resource settings, is intricately tied to the quality of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Clean environments reduce the risk of infections that can interrupt breastfeeding or lead to life-threatening illnesses in infants. Safe water and good hygiene practices are essential for breastfeeding mothers to maintain personal hygiene and safely express, store, or supplement breast milk when needed.

Moreover, poor sanitation and contaminated water increase the reliance on formula feeding, which, in such settings, poses significant health risks due to unsafe preparation conditions. This highlights the vital need for universal access to WASH in homes, healthcare facilities, and public spaces including maternal clinics and workplaces.

Investing in Supportive Systems

Support for breastfeeding must extend beyond the home. This includes training health workers in skilled breastfeeding counselling, enforcing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and creating breastfeeding-friendly spaces in health facilities, communities, and workplaces. When paired with WASH infrastructure and services, these interventions can significantly reduce child morbidity and mortality.

Investing in breastfeeding and WASH is also smart economics: it lowers healthcare costs, boosts cognitive development, and strengthens national economies.

A Call to Action

This World Breastfeeding Week, let's reaffirm our commitment to protecting breastfeeding and ensuring access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for all mothers. Investing in systems that support mothers and babies is crucial for their future and the health of entire communities. To turn commitments into action, all stakeholders must work together:

- Governments: prioritize WASH and maternal-child health in policies and budgets

- Healthcare providers: develop breastfeeding counseling and WASH skills

- WASH sector: collaborate with health experts to ensure clean water and sanitation in healthcare settings

- Civil society: advocate for accountability and community mobilization

- Private sector: support infrastructure development and innovative hygiene solutions

References

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)- waba.org

- World Health Organization (WHO)- www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding

- UNICEF- www.unicef.org/media/48046/file/UNICEF_B..._for_Every_Child.pdf