I noticed I was referred to recently, about HIV. I would like to

clarify.  My name is Edith White (formerly Edith Tibbetts)and I have

been teaching breastfeeding workshops since 1972.  Just by way of

background,I would add that I was one of the original group of women who

met in 1985 to start IBCLE.  So I've been a "grandmothered" IBCLC since

1985. I think that I helped train about 20,000 people (for Health ED &

Healthy Children 2000).



I am a passionate breastfeeding advocate, but also a research nut.  I

agree completely with Kathy Auerbach that we need to read primary

sources.  Reeview articles, editorials, secondary articles & conference

presentations do not suffice.  I will be happy to email a 6-page

single-spaced reference list of articles on HIV & breastfeeding to

anyone who emails me. AIDS research comes out fast & much of it is via

abstracts at international conferences.  But much of it is on the

Internet.  The AEGIS (all-AIDS search engine)is great- just type in

"breastfeeding" & it comes up with a lot.  Email me if you want Internet

info. A good palce to begin is UNAIDS' page.  [UNAIDS took over for the

WHO & now speaks for WHO, UNICEF, World Bank-all UN agencies.  Try

www.unaids.org/unaids/events/wad/1997/breastfeeding.html.

Library-minded people may want to try Lewis(J Infec Dis 1998;177:34-39),

Kreiss (Acta Pediatr Suppl 421: 113-117, 1997), and Bobat (AIDS 1997,

11:1627-1633.)



Please let me clarify one point from my presentation last Friday

(2/27/98) at Mass WIC. I did not say that blood transfusion is the most

COMMON mode of HIV transmission - but rather the most biologically

EFFICIENT. The point may have been unclear because Mass WIC's overhead

projector blew its bulb & no other bulb was available.  I am, alas,

overhead projector-transparancy-dependent when it comes to making

teaching points.  Also, the topic is complicated.  The topic is also

incredibly uncomfortable for all of us-- I remember crying hysterically

in a pizza parlor when it really hit me how conclusively the primary

research reports show that breastmilk readily transmits HIV.  (My date

was not thrilled.)



We are all in this together -- struggling in how to protect breastfeedng

for the 499/500 US HIV-negative women, while alerting the 1/500 HIV+.  I

would also like to clarify that I have never taken one penny from any

formula company.   Edith