Does the World Health Organisation say that 1.5 million babies die annually because of bottle-feeding?
This is entirely false, based on a misinterpretation of a WHO statement that said: “WHO estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed”. WHO never inferred that ‘not adequately breastfed’ meant ‘fed infant formula’. UNICEF data shows that in developing countries, although most infants below 6 months of age are breastfed, they are rarely exclusively so. Most children who are not exclusively breastfed in developing countries do not receive infant formula, but rather dangerous substitutes, including non-milk liquids, unadapted whole cow’s milk, plain water (which may be contaminated) and solid foods. This is one of the reasons explaining why malnutrition among infants and young children is still prevalent in developing countries.
