Low breastfeeding rates cost Pakistan $2.8 billion annually — WHO

KARACHI: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Friday only 48.4 percent of infants under six months were exclusively breastfed in Pakistan, a shortfall that is costing the country an estimated $2.8 billion annually due to the negative impact on public health. Low rates of breastfeeding have serious public health and economic consequences in Pakistan and are linked to more than 33,700 child deaths, 6.6 million diarrhea cases and 2.7 million school years lost every year, according to data from Nutrition International.

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