Infant feeding and HIV

doi:10.1136/bmj.39135.411563.80

BMJ 2007;334:487-488 (10 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39135.411563.80

Editorials

Infant feeding and HIV

Avoiding transmission is not enough

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Recently, the World Health Organization updated its recommendationsof 2000¹ on infant feeding in the context of HIV.² At that time,data had just been published quantifying the risk of infectionthrough breast feeding so avoiding breast feeding was acknowledgedas the only effective way of avoiding transmission.³ WHO hadalso just published a meta-analysis of the mortality risks ofnot breast feeding, but in non-HIV infected populations.⁴ Considerationsof these data resulted in the statement that "When replacementfeeding is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable andsafe, avoidance of all breastfeeding by HIV-infected mothersis recommended."¹ Since the 2000 recommendations, the main emphasisof most national programmes aimed at preventing mother to childtransmission of HIV has been to avert transmission of HIV inyoung infants.

The most difficult challenge has been how to make breast feedingsafer in communities with a high prevalence of HIV where breastfeeding is . . . [Full text of this article]

Nigel C Rollins, professor

Maternal and Child Health Unit, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, Congella 4013, South Africa

rollins@ukzn.ac.za

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Infant feeding and HIV: Sameer Chadha, et al.
bmj.com, 12 Mar 2007 [Full text]
Infant feeding and HIV: Dr Dieudonne Birahinduka,PhD (Moscow), MPH (Master in Public Health) Glasgow
bmj.com, 18 Mar 2007 [Full text]
Infant breastfeeding and HIV/AIDS-WHO Recomendation -2007: Professor Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, et al.
bmj.com, 4 Apr 2007 [Full text]