article · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for an infant's first six months of life, yet its relationship with malaria risk has remained uncertain. A cross-sectional investigation examined infants at six months of age in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, comparing 137 exclusively breastfed infants against 358 infants who were not exclusively breastfed. Each child underwent assessment for fever and was tested for malaria infections using polymerase chain reaction methods. The findings revealed that exclusive breastfeeding was linked to a significantly decreased risk of developing clinical malaria, yielding an odds ratio of 0.13. These results point to a clear protective effect offered by exclusive breastfeeding against symptomatic malaria infections in early infancy. Such evidence reinforces current infant feeding recommendations by demonstrating a vital health benefit in a malaria-endemic setting.
Malaria represents a severe threat to infant health in endemic regions, making non-pharmaceutical protective factors critically important. By demonstrating that exclusive breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of clinical malaria in six-month-old infants, these findings provide essential empirical support for international infant feeding guidelines. Healthcare initiatives can leverage this evidence to encourage sustained exclusive breastfeeding, helping protect vulnerable infants against clinical infection in early life.
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The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life. However, the effect of EBF on malaria risk remains unclear. In the present study, 137 EBF infants and 358 non-EBF infants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were assessed for fever and malaria infections by polymerase chain reaction, at 6 months of age. EBF was associated with a reduced risk of clinical malaria (odds ratio = 0.13; 95% confidence interval = 0.00-0.80), suggesting a protective effect of EBF against malaria.
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DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0011
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