(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Washington, DC - As the nation monitors the
intensifying "swine flu" outbreak, the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)
recommends breastfeeding as a critical strategy to prevent infection. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance today
on H1N1 (swine) flu considerations for pregnancy and breastfeeding, stating
that: "Infants who are not breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable to
infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness. Women who deliver
should be encouraged to initiate breastfeeding early and feed frequently."
Medical experts agree with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in
recommending exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding
for the first year of life and beyond. USBC Chair Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD,
FAAP, FABM, IBCLC, affirms the importance of breastfeeding in emergency
situations: "Research clearly shows that breastfeeding provides a safe, reliable
food source, full of disease-fighting cells and antibodies that help protect
infants from germs and illnesses. Mothers exposed to influenza produce specific
protection for their infants and transmit this through their breast milk. Infant
formula does not provide these specific infection fighting properties.
Unnecessary formula supplementation should be eliminated so the infant can
receive as much benefit as possible from maternal protective antibodies and
other immune protective factors."
Women can continue to breastfeed while receiving antiviral medications. CDC
guidance recommends that if a woman is ill, she should continue breastfeeding
and increase feeding frequency. If the mother or infant is too ill to breastfeed
directly at the breast, the mother should be encouraged to pump and feed her
breast milk to her infant. In certain situations, infants may be able to use
donor human milk from a milk bank certified by the Human Milk Banking
Association of North America.
The CDC reports that although the risk of H1N1 (swine) flu transmission through
breast milk is unknown, reports of seasonal flu being transmitted through breast
milk are rare. In addition, by the time a mother begins showing symptoms of the
flu, her infant has already been exposed. The mother's milk can provide
additional protection for the infant from complications of the flu, such as
severe respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, other gastrointestinal infections, and
dehydration.
In addition to continued breastfeeding, parents and caretakers can help protect
their infant from the spread of germs when they:
Wash adults' and infants' hands frequently with soap and water, especially after
infants place their hands in their mouths.
Keep infants and mothers as close together as possible and encourage early and
frequent skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their infants.
Limit sharing of toys and other items that have been in infants' mouths, and
wash thoroughly with soap and water any items that have been in infants' mouths.
Keep pacifiers (including the pacifier ring/handle) and other items out of
adults' or other infants' mouths before giving them to the infant.
Cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
For more information about H1N1 (swine) flu, visit the CDC's H1N1 Flu Web site.
For more information about breastfeeding, visit The National Women's Health
Information Center. Physicians and other health care providers can offer
assistance and answer questions about breastfeeding, and knowledgeable
breastfeeding support personnel can be located through the International
Lactation Consultant Association, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) Program, and La Leche League International.
The USBC is an organization of organizations. Opinions expressed by USBC are not
necessarily the position of all member organizations and opinions expressed by
USBC member organization representatives are not necessarily the position of
USBC.
United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)
The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is an independent nonprofit
coalition of 41 nationally influential professional, educational, and
governmental organizations. Representing over half a million concerned
professionals and the families they serve, USBC and its member organizations
share a common mission to improve the Nation's health by working collaboratively
to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. For more information about USBC,
visit www.usbreastfeeding.org.
Source : www.HealthNewsDigest.com
