Countries Join to Promote Breast Milk Banks

Representatives from 11 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean pledged to create a new Latin American Network of Breast Milk Banks to promote the benefits of breastfeeding for child health, during the 2nd International Congress of Breast Milk Banks in Brasilia in May.

The new Latin American Network of Breast Milk Banks—with an initial 11 member countries—will help ensure that more babies have access to the many health benefits of mothers' milk. © Armando Waak/PAHO

The call came in the congress's final document, the Brazil Charter, which noted the importance of breastfeeding to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals because of the critical role breast milk banks can play in preventing infant deaths.

The document was signed by delegates from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela the minister of health of Brazil and representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, the International Baby Food Action network, and other organizations.

The charter points out that exclusive breastfeeding is the single most important health intervention for preventing deaths among children under 5 and also helps prevent neonatal deaths, the largest component of under-1 mortality. Breastfeeding also contributes to babies' cognitive development, helps prevent anemia, and, in mothers, reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

Breast milk banks, which rely on donated mothers' milk, play an important role in the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding, and particularly exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Much of the donated milk is used to feed premature and low birth-weight babies, who typically suffer from other health problems.

Most breast milk banks in Latin America and the Caribbean closed about a decade ago when it was learned that HIV/AIDS could be transmitted through breast milk. An exception was Brazil, which has continued to operate breast milk banks, ensuring the safety of the milk through sterilization. Today Brazil has 186 breast milk banks throughout the country. Other countries that have functioning banks are Venezuela, with eight banks, and Uruguay, with one.

In the Brazil Charter, countries promised to work together to support the development of human resources, equipment, and procedures needed to guarantee the quality, safety, and effectiveness of breast milk banks. Brazil will provide country-to-country technical cooperation to support the creation of the network, and its FIOCRUZ Foundation has offered to print technical norms for the banks.