Overview
- The global campaign runs Aug 1–7 under the theme “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” calling for early initiation within one hour and exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
- State and district authorities have issued directives for awareness meetings, Anganwadi- and ASHA-led home visits, and coordinated hospital counselling to reach pregnant women and mothers of infants.
- Mandya district reported that all 14,438 live births from 2025–26 were breastfed within the first hour and announced a new district milk bank to support newborns in need.
- Hospitals and medical colleges, including JIPMER, staged rallies and week-long education programmes to promote best practices for breastfeeding among staff and the public.
- South Africa’s health department highlighted a 22% national exclusive-breastfeeding rate and reiterated the 2030 target of 60%, underlining the need to scale proven supports to reduce child malnutrition and illness.