Læknablaðið - 15.10.1993, Page 46

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LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
Breastfeeding was prolonged irrespective of
the initial delay of breastfeeding start. How
such practices influenced morbidity related to
one specific diarrhoea agent (rotavirus) was
investigated in a rural area (n=144). During
the 15-month follow-up many of the children
were weaned. The cumulative incidence of
seroconversion to rotavirus was significantly
related to the spatial distribution of cases but
not to weaning. Breastfeeding does not confer
young children any important protection
against rotavirus infection, but may modify
the clinicial course.
In conclusion, cultural concepts about
colostrum influence breastfeeding start, but
individual variation was considerable. A
delay of one or two days can not be expected
to negatively influence long-term child
health, even in a microbiologically agressive
environment. Still, there are several reasons
for early breastfeeding start, and in the
hospital this was achieved through information
only. Research in combination with routine
health activities, as in this study, can be used
to shed light on potential health problems,
providing health policy makers with relevant
data and target health education.