Al Ain Hospital announced that the Second Regional Conference on Human Lactation, to be held on November 13 and 14, will discuss the importance of breastfeeding for child survival.

The meet coincides with the UAE National Breastfeeding week (November 8 to 14).

The two-day conference which is themed 'Breastfeeding: decreasing infant morbidity and mortality', aims to strengthen the breastfeeding culture in the region.

Al Ain Hospital and Seha have collaborated with the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (Waba), International Baby Food Action Network Geneva (Ibfan), World Health Organisation (WHO) and Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA) to bring about this event.

“The conference is another opportunity for the city of Al Ain to reaffirm the critical role that family plays in our community,” said George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital.

The world leaders in infant feeding will gather in Al Ain during UAE National Breastfeeding Week under the umbrella of 'Global Breastfeeding Initiative for Child Survival (gBICS)'.

The gBICS is a worldwide civil society-driven initiative aiming to accelerate progress in attaining the reduction of child mortality by scaling up early, exclusive and continued breastfeeding. Hailing from all parts of the world, the members of the gBICS will join the Second Regional Conference on Human Lactation.

Various experts from Switzerland, UK, Malaysia, Germany, Canada, Sweden and South Africa will deliver lectures on the latest available information on different topics.

''Breast milk is the optimal form of nutrition for infants and should be used exclusively for six months and continued up to 2 years of age with complementary feeding,'' said Dr Moza Ali Saleh Al Kuwaiti, head of Family Medicine at Al Ain Hospital and head of the organising committee for the conference. 

“Increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding has been proven to deter childhood illnesses like diarrhea, respiratory infections and a lot of other health problems which will be covered at the Second Regional Conference on Human Lactation,” she added.
                         
With its inaugural meeting of world leaders on infant nutrition slated for November 10, the conference is expected to attract health care professionals and guests from around the world.

Al Ain Hospital, managed by Vamed and Medical University of Vienna, is owned and operated by Seha, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company.-TradeArabia News Service