The Bermuda Hospitals Board will be hosting an open house on Monday to promote the benefits of breast-feeding.

As part of a celebration for World Breast-feeding Week involving more than 120 countries, the BHB and La Leche League (LLL) of Bermuda will provide the public with information and advice on nursing their infants.

Lena Ostroff, chairperson for LLL, says that breast-feeding rates are particularly low on the Island and less than one per cent of mothers breast-feed for six months as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO also recommends for mothers to continue to nurse, along with complementary foods, for two years and up.

"While many mothers intend to nurse their babies, we know breast-feeding rates in Bermuda are very low," said Ms Ostroff. "And the number of women in our community exclusively breast-feeding for six months is less than one percent. This directly translates into higher incidences of illness among our infants and children and increased healthcare costs for all of us.

"Partnering with the hospital to promote and protect breast-feeding in Bermuda is an excellent first step toward helping mothers to get off to a good start," said Ms. Ostroff. "By working together we can increase breast-feeding rates."

The open house will take place on the Maternity Ward of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.