
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has sounded the alarm over the persistently low rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the Dominican Republic.
According to the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), conducted jointly by the National Office of Statistics (ONE) and Unicef, only 16% of infants in the country are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. While this represents a 4% increase since 2014, it remains significantly below recommended levels.
A global Unicef survey further revealed that 51% of parents and pregnant women reported received promotions for breast milk substitutes or formula. Unicef representative Carlos Carrera denounced this practice as a violation of international norms, designed to manipulate parental feeding choices.
“Parents and healthcare professionals often receive misleading information that is unscientific and contrary to regulations protecting mothers from abusive practices related to breast milk substitutes,” Carrera stated. Such misinformation, he added, poses a significant barrier to breastfeeding.
The Unicef representative emphasized that while breastfeeding is the optimal choice for infants, “it is also the best solution for mothers who for some reason cannot or do not wish to do so.”
These comments were made in conjunction with World Breastfeeding Week, celebrated annually during the first week of August. This year’s theme, “Closing the Gaps: Breastfeeding Support for All,” highlights the global effort to promote breastfeeding.
Globally, Unicef data shows that only 48% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, falling slightly short of the World Health Assembly’s target of 50% by 2025.
“If all children aged 0 to 23 months received optimal breastfeeding, more than 820,000 lives could be saved each year,” Carrera noted, emphasizing the critical role of breastfeeding in child survival and healthy development.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, only 43% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, and just 48% of children between 12 and 23 months receive any breast milk. These figures place the region below global averages.
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Z101 Digital
Unicef
1 August 2024