The Effect of Exclusive Breast-feeding on Respiratory Illness in Young Infants in a Maternal Immunization Trial in Bangladesh

摘要

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of'life.1 In support of this recommendation, there is an approximately 2-fold increased risk of pneumonia in infants receiving no breast milk compared with those exclusively breast-fed during the first 6 months of life.2 In addition, there is substantial evidence that exclusive breast-feeding reduces infant mortality, specifically from diarrhea and acute respiratory infections.3 A prior study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, found a 2.4-fold higher risk of infant death from acute respiratory infections in infants who were partially or never breast-fed during the first 4 months of life when compared with those exclusively breast-fed.4