Hello my name is Hope Oster, I am a Junior Nursing Student at the University of North Dakota.  I have been researching the transmission of infectious diseases through breast milk and breastfeeding.  The neonatal nutrition goal for the premature infant is that the infant will achieve weight gain and growth composition that is similar to a normal fetus of the same postconceptional age (Anderson, 2001).  According to my research, human milk with fortifiers is the most favorable nutrition for the preterm infant (Anderson, 2001).  The human milk is supplied to the infant enterally, due to the infant’s inability to suckle (Cahill, 2002).  Taking into consideration the infant’s immature immune system, is it safe for a mother with an infectious disease to breastfeed? I have found that breast milk is very beneficial to infants, however, certain infections can be passed to the infant via breast milk (Lawrence, 1999).  It is very important to educate the infected mother on whether or n
ot breast feeding is contraindicated for her specific illness
(Lawrence, 1999).  Often a mother will make an uninformed decision on whether or not to breastfeed, and it is important to inform her that it is very rare for breast feeding to be contraindicated (Lawrence, 1999).  “Infectious organisms can reach the breast milk either by secretion in the fluid or cellular components of breast milk or by contamination of the milk at the time of or after expression”(Lawrence, 1999). Throughout my research I found that there is no evidence of most common infectious diseases being transmitted via the breast milk.  Some of these infectious diseases include Chlamydial infections, Diptheria, Haemophilus influenzae, rotaviruses, arboviruses and many others (Lawrence, 1999).  As I mentioned before, breast milk is rarely ever contraindicated.  There are a few infectious disease that would be spread from mother to infant regardless of breast feeding such as Meningococcal infections due to their mode of transmission being droplets (Lawrence, 1999).  Ac
cording to Lawrence, mothers with mild staphylococcal infections can continue breastfeeding during diagnosis and treatment.  I found evidence of transmission of the infection through breast milk or other reasons for contraindications in a few illnesses (Lawrence, 1999).   Breastfeeding is contraindicated if the mother is infected with Ebola virus, Cytomegalovirus, Rabies, Lassa fever, Varicella-Zoster virus, HTLV, TB, and Syphilis (if mom has open skin lesions on the breast) (Lawrence, 1999).   What information have you found, in your practice or through personal experience, regarding the transmission of infectious diseases via breast milk? Thank you in advance for your time and information.

Anderson, D.  (2001).  Issues and current developments in neonatal nutrition for 
Premature infants.  Topics in Clinical Nutrition.  Retrieved October 10, 2002.  
http://proquest.umi.com        
Cahill, J. & Wagner, C.  (2002).  Challenges in breastfeeding:  Neonatal concerns.  
Contemporary Pediatrics.  Retrieved October 10, 2002.  http://proquest.umi.com
Lawrence, R.  (1999).  Breastfeeding: A guide for the medical profession.  5th ed.  
St.Louis: Mosby, Inc.

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