August 01, 2023, Hyderabad: Celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (Aug 01-07), the Ministry of Health, Telangana Government unveiled a first-in-India logo that promotes awareness of breastfeeding. This logo symbolizes the need to breastfeed with love and nourish for life.
The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5; 2019-21) statistics have recorded the largest improvement in the percentage of children who were exclusively breastfed under six months of age, from 54.9% in NFHS-4 to 63.7% in NFHS-5. The NFHS -5 report further stated that only 68% of children under six months are exclusively breastfed in Telangana while only 38% mothers start breastfeeding in the first hour of life even though 88% are put to the breast within the first day.
While this is good news, Shri Thanneeru Harish Rao, Minister of Health, Govt of Telangana, said, “Breastmilk is also called liquid gold as it is invaluable and priceless. A Healthy and Young India can be built only when our children are healthy. Breastmilk is the first nutrition that is rich in antibodies that help build a strong immune system for the child and lays the foundation for their good health in the future. As a State fully committed to health and well-being of the citizens, we are delighted to be at the forefront of creating awareness on this important cause. This logo beautifully captures the need to nourish infants with breastmilk that will offer perfect nutrition for them.”
Each color and symbol in the logo symbolize this special bond. The blue denotes the mother, while the green a new-born. The yellow depicts liquid gold or breastmilk. And the red and grey circles represent the family and wider society that needs to build a conducive ecosystem for mothers and support them during this emotional phase.
According to Vishwanath Swarup, COO- India Business, BSV, “Studies show that India houses close to 50% of the world’s undernourished children. Breastfeeding plays a very critical role in ensuring adequate nutrition of infants. This is a critical area of focus for the Government and society to work together and act. As a woman-focused company, it is our responsibility to take efforts towards building a Healthy India with healthy mothers and children. This is our first step towards promoting the awareness about Breastfeeding.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO): Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help build the immune system. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first few 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. Women who breastfeed also have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
