Breastfeeding and Ebola: knowledge gaps endanger mothers and babies

By Catriona Waitt, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Global Health, University of Liverpool
Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University
Mija Ververs, Senior Associate, Johns Hopkins University
Peter Waitt, Acute Physician and Clinical lead for ACESO Uganda, University of Liverpool
Prince Imani-Musimwa, Researcher, Institut supérieur pédagogique et technique de Goma

Breastfeeding is so important for child health that the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef recommend that babies should be breastfed within an hour of birth, be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then continue breastfeeding in combination with other foods for two years or more.

Infectious disease emergencies can threaten breastfeeding and the lives of mothers and babies. Depending on the disease, there is a risk of passing infection to the baby by close contact or (rarely)…

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