The global status of human milk banking

Bibliographic Data

ID15536366
AuthorsKiersten Israel‐Ballard (0000-0002-3489-8213, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, corresponding author), Emily LaRose (0009-0008-8561-6643, Harvard University), Kimberly Mansen (0000-0002-2015-2066, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health)
Year2024
Volume20
IssueS4
Pagese13592-e13592
Publication date2024-02-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13592
PMID38318679
OpenAlexW4391613137
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited7

Human milk provides essential nutrition for infants and holds many health benefits for infants and mothers. When a mother's own milk is not available for her infant, the World Health Organization recommends feeding donor human milk (DHM) from a human milk banking facility. DHM is human milk produced, collected then donated to a human milk bank (HMB). HMBs serve many vital functions, including screening donor mothers, then collecting, processing, storing, and allocating DHM to recipients. The first HMB opened in 1909, and today there are more than 700 HMBs globally. Unfortunately, HMB facilities are not present in all locales, with notable gaps in South Asia and Africa. Additionally, there are no global standards to guide HMB operational procedures. Even though most HMBs attempt to employ quality control systems to provide safe DHM, differences in community needs, resource availability, and a range of methods and policies to execute processes result in significant variations in DHM quality and HMB operations. Robust and collaborative systems that ensure safe and equitable access to DHM are needed. In this paper, we present a global snapshot of current human milk banking practices; review an interdisciplinary framework to guide and support HMB activities as an integrated part of health and newborn care systems; discuss factors that contribute to HMB sustainability; outline barriers to scaling HMBs worldwide; and highlight knowledge, policy, and research gaps. Developing global HMB guidance and rigorous, adaptable standards would strengthen efforts to improve newborn health

Business · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Global health · Health care · Human resources · Public health · Sustainability · Breastfeeding Practices and Influences · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Infant Nutrition and Health · Medicine · Nursing

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