Marsha's post makes some excellent points!
"1. why is the safe provision of human milk to these babies being
systematically ignored? Where are the feasibility studies and cost
estimates
of HIV positive mothers having their own milk heat treated for use
with their
own infant? If activities are being undertaken to provide powdered
formula
that must be mixed with local water, fed by bottle and artificial
nipple,
cleaned with more water and soap, and monitored for safety and proper
mixing
and feeding, and provided for a year--how is this more expensive than
heat
treating human milk? Or do the formula companies intend on donating
this
formula? "


The safe provision of breastmilk to these babies born to HIV positive
mothers could also be by wet nursing by mothers who have tested
negative to the virus.
Why save these babies from possible HIV infection, to have them die of
the myriad of other diseases brought on by formula feeding in
countries where clean water, correct mixing and clean bottles are not
necessarily available!
Add to that, in the tribal communities I experience (2, on our island,
and many outstations with other families), the children have more
freedom to wander with siblings. Consider the scenario when babies
become 'attached' to their bottles, as many in western countries do.
These will be dropped in the dirt and exposed to heat. Dirt roads,
animal dung, all of this will go into the children's mouths. I feel
that the health problems will surely be greater than any risk of
transmission via mothers breastmilk. Now this is not to say that think
that the risk of HIV transmission is not a problem that should be
addressed, but many of us sitting in urban situations are not aware of
the cultural differences in communities such as these in other
countries.
There must be an alternative to handing out formula. We think that the
situation has been carefully considered by experts, but maybe the
formula company representatives had louder voices or persuasive
arguments, maybe some others are complacent and accepting of formula
because it has been available for so long. Maybe the health
professionals were like some of the ones we see, who's first reaction
(and second, third) is to stop breastfeeding if there is any doubt in
their minds at all..
Brainstorm, wise ones and let's pass our concern on.

Warm regards,
Querida

Querida David
Alyangula, NT. Australia
NMAA Counsellor,
Editor 'Upfront', GL, NT Correspondence Group
 NT Publications review team
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