There is no substitute for breastfeeding for a child’s intellectual and physical development, prevention of malnutrition and development of the immune system. There are rules to exclusively breastfeed children under 6 months of age, yet breastfeeding has declined significantly in the country.
According to the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2022, breastfeeding in the country has declined by 10 percent compared to the situation a decade ago.
Also, amid the rise in dengue across the country, lactating mothers suffering from the mosquito-borne disease are worried whether they can breastfeed their babies. However, physicians say that there is no complication in breastfeeding in that case.
According to BDHS 2022, exclusive breastfeeding among children aged 0-5 months is expected to decline from 65 per cent in 2017-18 to 55 per cent in 2022. A similar decline was observed between 2011 and 2014. Breastfeeding was 55 percent in 2011, 54 percent in 2011, 43 percent in 2007, and 42 percent in 2004.