The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2022 (August 1-August 7) is “Step Up For Breastfeeding: Educate and Support,” to raise breastfeeding awareness of the value of breastfeeding and elevate it to the level of a public health obligation by encouraging organizations and countries to develop measures to safeguard breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. However, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months—a rate that has not improved in 2 decades.
Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.