An infectious disease, also known as a communicable disease or communicable disease, is a disease resulting from the invasion of an organism's body tissues by pathogens , by their multiplication and by the reaction of host tissues to infectious agents and the toxins they produce. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Infectious diseases, including respiratory tract infections, are still a major cause of morbidity and hospitalization in infants and children. Infections and malnutrition have always been linked. Malnutrition is the leading cause of immunodeficiency worldwide and since this immune deficiency is partially compensated by breastfeeding, it is therefore the single best way to protect newborns from infections. There is extensive epidemiological evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding against a wide range of diseases. infections and diseases. Nutrition is essential for the health and development of infants and children. Breastfeeding is superior to formula feeding because, in addition to the nutritional benefits of breast milk, it protects against infections through specific and nonspecific immune factors and has long-term consequences on metabolism and disease later in life. Breast milk contains various antimicrobial substances, antimicrobial inflammatory components and factors that promote immune development. It improves the baby's immature immune system and strengthens defense mechanisms against infectious and other agents during the breastfeeding period.4,Breastfeeding is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key to ensuring the health of mothers and children. In 2002, WHO updated breastfeeding guidelines and recommended that “all infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and receive safe and nutritionally adequate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues until two years of age or beyond” (WHA55 A55/15, paragraph 10, p. 5). In a recent analysis of the health consequences of childhood undernutrition, it was estimated that suboptimal breastfeeding was responsible for 1.4 million infant deaths and 44 million disability-adjusted life years, or 10 percent. of disability-adjusted life years in children under 5 years of age. A meta-analysis estimated a significant reduction in the risk of hospitalization for respiratory diseases in healthy, full-term infants in developed countries associated with exclusive breastfeeding for > 4 months compared with no breastfeeding (unadjusted risk coefficient: 0. 28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14 – 0.54). The benefits of breastfeeding have been shown in numerous studies to be dose-responsive, or in other words, related to the amount of breast milk received. For example, fully breastfed infants have been shown to have overall lower disease rates, while minimal breastfeeding has not been shown to be protective. It is suggested that the effects of breast milk on the infant's immune system may persist beyond the period of breastfeeding, as it not only provides passive immunity but also long-term maturation of the immune system. Since breastfeeding could protect against diseases in adulthood such as type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease, prolonged protection against respiratory tract infections after the first year of life seems plausible. The..