It is essential to provide infants and young children with proper nutrition. The vitamins and nutrients in breastmilk and complementary foods contribute to the development of important antibodies that reduce the rates of diarrheal disease and also promote quicker recovery from diarrheal infections.
Malnutrition, caused by inadequate nutrient intake and disease, is a direct cause of 30 percent of all child deaths in developing countries...
...and can result in a five-to-ten-fold increase in a child’s risk of death from diarrhea.1 Measured by low weight and height for age, and low weight for height, malnutrition can be prevented through optimal infant and young child feeding—exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months, continued breastfeeding, and nutritious, hygienically-prepared complementary foods during the 6 to 24 month period. Feeding should continue during an episode of diarrhea, and feeding should increase after the episode to counteract weight loss and prevent malnutrition.
PATH’s Infant and Young Child Nutrition project works in developing countries to promote optimal infant and young child feeding practices—proven methods for reducing malnutrition and enhancing child growth and survival.
PATH’s Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) team works to improve infant and young child feeding in the context of HIV through a partnership with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda, and South Africa, and with the Intrahealth-led Community PMTCT project in Ethiopia.