World Breastfeeding Week, observed from 1 to 7 August, opened over the weekend with rallies, human chains, and awareness sessions in South America and Asia. In India, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai formed a human chain of about 200 participants and placed awareness posters in Metrorail stations, while Maa Kauvery Hospital in Tiruchi conducted a rally of more than 150 people in collaboration with medical societies. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health has used the week to reinforce protection, promotion and support for breastfeeding under the national “Agosto Dourado” campaign, and in Argentina the Ospedyc health organisation disseminated information on the benefits of breastfeeding.

The World Health Organization has set the 2026 theme as “Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works”, according to reports from Noticias Argentinas and Agência Brasil. The WHO and UNICEF recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding with complementary foods up to two years or beyond, the Argentine article noted. Dr. Valeria Valko of Ospedyc described human milk as “the first vaccine a baby receives”, citing evidence that it reduces the risk of overweight and obesity by 13%, of type 2 diabetes by 35%, of leukaemia by 19% for those breastfed six months or longer, and of sudden infant death syndrome by up to 60%. She added that adults who were breastfed as children score an average of 3.4 points higher on cognitive development indicators.

In Brazil, the president of the Scientific Department of Breastfeeding of the Brazilian Society of Paediatrics, Rossiclei Pinheiro, warned of what she called “the commercial harassment of the industry” in prescribing infant formula. She told Agência Brasil that formula is an ultra-processed food suitable only when a doctor or nutritionist recommends it for specific medical reasons, such as maternal HIV infection or infant allergies. In Argentina, Dr. Valko emphasised that returning to work is often the biggest obstacle and that companies should provide clean, private lactation rooms with refrigeration so that employed mothers can express and store milk. The Institute of Social Paediatrics at Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai, through a release, reaffirmed a central principle: breastfeeding is not sustained by mothers alone but by every individual and system that supports them.

Activities are scheduled throughout the week. At the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children in Chennai, a rally was flagged off by the institute’s director, and exclusively breastfed babies were identified and given gifts. The Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research also launched week-long academic sessions, community outreach and public awareness events. Rela Hospital in Chrompet organised a three-kilometre walkathon with over 200 healthcare professionals and members of the public. In Brazil, paediatric experts highlighted that the promotion of breastfeeding aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through reduced family spending on formula and medications.