Record No: Res 31828    Version: 1 Council Bill No:
Type: Resolution (Res) Status: Adopted
Current Controlling Legislative Body City Clerk
On agenda: 7/16/2018
Ordinance No:
Title: A RESOLUTION in support of the Seventy-first World Health Assembly resolution on infant and young child feeding, affirming The City of Seattle's recognition of breastfeeding as critical to infant and maternal health.
Sponsors: Teresa Mosqueda
Attachments: 1. Att A - Resolution WHA 71.9
Supporting documents: 1. Summary and Fiscal Note, 2. Signed Resolution 31828, 3. Affidavit of Publication
CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
title
A RESOLUTION in support of the Seventy-first World Health Assembly resolution on infant and young child feeding, affirming The City of Seattle's recognition of breastfeeding as critical to infant and maternal health.
body
WHEREAS, breastfeeding has been proven to reduce neonatal mortality, and is associated with improved nutritional, developmental, immunological, and social outcomes; and
WHEREAS, breastfeeding is linked to faster recovery from childbirth and reduced risk of acute and chronic conditions such as breast and ovarian cancers, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity; and
WHEREAS, suboptimal breastfeeding is associated with numerous adverse child health outcomes including frequent diarrhea, pneumonia, and increased mortality; and
WHEREAS, failure to promote breastfeeding coupled with inadequate attention to the safety of replacement formulas can have serious health consequences; and
WHEREAS, a 2010 analysis in Pediatrics estimates $13 billion in savings per year in the U.S. if 90 percent of families breastfeed exclusively for six months; and
WHEREAS, a 2013 study in The Lancet estimates that thirteen percent of all child deaths in lower-income countries can be prevented if breastfeeding is increased to optimal levels, and that over 800,000 infant deaths that occurred in 2010 are attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding; and
WHEREAS, international concern about declining rates of breastfeeding in the 1970s led health authorities to make a concerted effort to promote breastfeeding; and
WHEREAS, in 1981 the World Health Organization adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, which includes provisions preventing hospitals and birthing centers from accepting free or low-cost infant formula, providing free samples of infant formula to families, or advertising breast-milk substitutes; and
WHEREAS, over 500 hospitals and birthing centers nationwide have...

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