© 2004 American Public Health Association
Jay S. Ross is with the Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC. Miriam H. Labbok was with the Nutrition and Maternal Health Division, Global Bureau, US Agency for International Development (USAID) during preparation of the article. She is currently with the Nutrition Section, UNICEF, New York, NY. Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Jay Ross, 31 Macken Rd, RR4, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G 2L2 Canada (e-mail: jayross{at}aed.org).
Objectives. We investigated how, under various conditions, the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breastfeeding compares with the risk of death from artificial feeding. Methods. We developed a spreadsheet simulation model to predict HIV-free survival during 7 age intervals from 0 to 24 months for 5 different infant feeding scenarios in resource-poor settings. Results. Compared with artificial feeding, breastfeeding during the first 6 months by HIV-positive mothers increases HIV-free survival by 32 per 1000 live births. After 6 months, as the age-specific mortality rate and risk of death caused by replacement feeding both decline, replacement feeding appears to be safer. Conclusions. Under conditions common in countries with high HIV prevalence, replacement feeding by HIV-infected mothers should not be generally encouraged until after the infant is approximately 6 months old. This article has been cited by other articles:
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