Breast feeding may decrease the infantile mortality three times, Prof. Nasib Guliyev, the head paediatrist of Azerbaijan, told a news-conference in Baku on August 2.
He noted that in 1980s, a global investigation was held and in result, it was clear that only 20% of infants are fed with breast. After this, UNISEF started to realize a program directed towards encouraging mothers in feeding the babies with mother milk. Deprivation of children from breast feeding imposes danger as dissemination of nuclear weapon, he stressed.
Several successes were gained in Azerbaijan in this direction as a result of the program carried out by the Health Ministry of Azerbaijan in cooperation with UNISEF. According to the investigation conducted in 1995, only 25% of children received breast feeding and in 2006, this number increased up to 50%. According to Guliyev, this number should reach 95% because 3-5% of mothers cannot provide breast feeding due to lack of milk or other illnesses. The remaining part simply doesnt desire to feed from breast.
For the purpose to propagate and protect breast feeding and realize control on import, advertisement and sale of artificial feedings, Milli Majlis [Azerbaijani Parliament] adopted a law in 2003. The main requirement of the law for the producers of artificial feedings was that the artificial feeding products imported into Azerbaijan should contain instruction in Azeri language.
The participant of the conference, director of UNISEF program Health and feeding expressed her satisfaction with the measures taken in this direction. Besides, she stressed that 67 maternity hospitals in Azerbaijan were conferred diplomas Benevolent attitude toward infant and breast feeding, jointly issued by International Health Organization and UNISEF.