Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate Up

According to data from the Health Ministry, the number of Iranian babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life increased from 53.1% in 2013 to 60% in 2015. “Receiving only breast milk for the first six months of life can prevent child mortality by 13%,” Health Minister Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi told IRNA. Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. It is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. The World Health Organization recommends that infants receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding after six month up to 2 years of age. “Mortality cases among children under five have dropped from 250,000 per year in 1980 to 24,000 in 2015,” said the minister.