>If  HIV+ mothers do not have donor milk available, formula is necessary
for their babies; at least in the USA.<

Just to be clear:  formula is 'necessary' in the US, as in the UK, in this
situation because the government (in US AAP??) say so.

The research just does not justify this recommendation because all the work done
up until the Coutsoudis study done this summer (Coutsoudis, et al, Influence of
infant-feeding  patterns on early mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in
Durban, South Africa:  a prospective cohort study, The Lancet v354 7 August
1999) did not differentiate between the biologically different exclusively
breastfed babies and the babies receiving ANYTHING other than human milk and
medications.  Coutsoudis' findings show that EXCLUSIVELY breastfed babies have
an increased post-natal transmission of HIV-1 -- as compared to exclusively
replacement fed babies -- of ZERO.

I am not suggesting that we ignore entirely the recommendations of our
government (in UK), but to accept that formula is 'neccessary' for HIV+ women is
to give the companies a huge enormous early christmas / eid / easter / hannukah,
etc. present.  Formula is *needed* in this situation because the policy makers
have so little understanding of the biological effects of introducing any other
food / drink to infants that they missed this aspect out in research for
decades.

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

see:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/background_briefings/aids/newsid_504000/504853.stm

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