The World Health Organization recommends exclusively" class="hjdict" word="exclusively" target=_blank>exclusively breastfeeding babies until they are six months of age. And it says continued breastfeeding up to two years of age and beyond will greatly reduce child deaths caused by infection and nutrition" class="hjdict" word="malnutrition" target=_blank>malnutrition in developing countries.

WHO estimates 3.5 million children die every year of malnutrition. It says up to 1.5 million children could be saved by increasing breastfeeding.

Maria del Carmen Casanovas is a Technical Officer in WHO's Department for Nutrition for Health and Development. She tells VOA mother's milk contains important nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are found nowhere else. And these provide immunities against a host of infections and diseases.

"It defends the baby against all the potential" class="hjdict" word="potential" target=_blank>potentialmicrobia that can affect him," she said. "So, that is why the child will have less episodes of diarrhea, will have less experiences with respiratoryinfections and also less likely to die because of common childhood illnesses, especially diarrhea and pneumonia."

The World Health Organization acknowledges that breastfeeding may not be appropriate" class="hjdict" word="appropriate" target=_blank>appropriate in all cases. For instance, if a mother is HIV-positive, she could transmit the disease to her baby through breast-feeding.

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