A newly released study has shown that breastfeeding babies from day one reduces the risk of neonatal deaths.

The study which was conducted in Ghana found that 16 per cent of neonatal deaths can be prevented by breastfeeding infants from day one, and the rate increases to 22 per cent if breastfeeding begins within one hour of birth.

The early initiation of breastfeeding is the theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week and has particular relevance in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

This is an area where as many as 10 per cent of all babies die before the age of one and almost all neonatal deaths happen at home.

UNICEF Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman says more than one third of child deaths occur during the first fragile month of life and early breastfeeding provides critical nutrients which protect infants against deadly diseases and also fosters growth and development.

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