RIYADH, 10 August 2005 — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern over the decline in the number of infants in Saudi Arabia who are breastfed exclusively during the first six months of their lives. Only 31 percent of infants in the Kingdom are breastfed despite the many advantages breast milk has over baby-milk formula.

“There is a need to educate mothers and revive Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to promote breastfeeding in the Kingdom,” said Dr. Mahendra Sheth, UNICEF’s regional health and nutrition advisor for the Middle East and North Africa on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week.

Sheth said Saudi Arabia should adopt the model of Oman, where a network of women volunteers, activists and educated mothers had been entrusted with the task of promoting the practice.

He said that the increase in the number of working women, women’s ignorance and the intensive media campaign to promote baby-milk formula had contributed to a decline in the number of breast-fed infants.

Sheth said that several countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the UAE showed patterns similar to European industrialized countries where exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months is below 35 percent.

“Hence, encouraging exclusive breastfeeding has to become a high priority,” said the UNICEF official, adding that formula-fed babies get sick more often and are more likely to die in infancy or childhood in comparison to breast-fed babies. He pointed out that breastfeeding was declining with urbanization.

Mixed breast and bottle feeding as early as the first month and the premature introduction of complementary food are commonly found in all countries in the region. Infant formula is often diluted with unsafe water in non-sterile bottles and this poses another hazard.

Launched in 1990, the BFHI is an effort by UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure that all maternity centers encourage and support breastfeeding. In areas where hospitals have been designated Baby-Friendly, more mothers are breastfeeding their infants, and their children’s health has improved.