Mother’s milk is a baby’s first ‘natural vaccine’: Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO
Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO K.R. Nandini highlighted the critical importance of breastfeeding for infant immunity during World Breastfeeding Week. She noted that Mandya district achieved 100% institutional deliveries with successful early breastfeeding initiation.
Why it matters
Promoting breastfeeding is a key public health strategy for reducing infant mortality and improving long-term health outcomes.
Describing mother’s milk as the “baby’s first and best food”, Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO K.R. Nandini emphasised on the importance of initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, followed by exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, as essential for the child’s health, growth, and immunity.
She was speaking after inaugurating the World Breastfeeding Week programme organised by the Mandya district administration, Mandya Zilla Panchayat and the Department of Health and Family Welfare in Mandya on the theme, ‘Prioritising Breastfeeding: Building Sustainable Support Systems’, on Tuesday (August 4).
Observing that World Breastfeeding Week creates greater public awareness about the importance of mother’s milk, Ms. Nandini said mother’s milk is the baby’s first natural vaccine.
She added that till two years or beyond, breastfeeding should continue along with complementary food to aid a child’s overall development.
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