Hi Darillyn,
Yes there have been some well documented cases of child to mother transmission of HIV. The Eastern European cases were in Elista, Russia and there were also some in Tripoli, Libya...and I'v heard rumours of cases in Africa. 
How big is the risk? No one really knows. I speculate that use of a nipple shield might assist in reducing any risk but again who knows by how much. 
Karleen Gribble
Australia
On 18/02/2013, at 2:11 PM, Darillyn Starr wrote:

> I've had another question about whether it is safe for an adoptive mother to breastfeed a baby who is known to be HIV+, or at risk for it but still too young for a definitive test to be made.  In 1990, at a European are conference of LLLI, a physician spoke about a report of mothers in eastern Europe having been infected by their nursing infants, who had contracted it from transfusions.  I've heard some other things, over the years, but can't remember anything definitive.  It's confusing that they say it can't be transferred by kissing, even thought people often have small cracks in their lips or small wounds inside their mouths.  I seems reasonable that, if kissing is safe, breastfeeding would be too, but I certainly don't want to encourage it without knowing for sure.  
> 
> Does anyone have any kind of recent evidence that I could pass on to these mothers?  It is quite a common question.
> 
> Thanks!
> Darillyn
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