Antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears to dramatically reduce the chances of breastfeeding women with HIV transmitting the virus to their infants, according to two studies presented at the 4th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Sydney.
Up to one-third of HIV transmission from mother to infant takes place after childbirth, while the mother is feeding her infant with her breast milk (and usually other foods).
Studies have shown that exclusively breastfeeding rather than giving the babies mixed feeding significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission and some preliminary studies in breastfeeding mothers who are already eligible for ART for their own health have suggested that it reduces the risk of transmission.
The AMATA study also investigated the effects of antiretroviral therapy on HIV transmission during the breastfeeding period, but had a slightly different design. In this study, carried out in Kigali, Rwanda, all HIV-positive women at four antenatal care sites were offered the option of participating in the study. All mothers received antiretroviral therapy from the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy. The study enrolled 572 women, and 554 live births had been reported by July 2007, 316 (57%) formula fed, and 238 (43%) breastfed with ART. Seven children have been found to be HIV-infected, six at birth, and only one infection occurred during the breastfeeding period. Formula fed infants often have health problems (diarrhoea and chest infections). Infants of HIV-positive mothers who were breastfed had lower rates of illness and death than formula-fed infants.
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