Dear all,

The new flu is a hot issue and gets a lot of coverage in the Dutch newspapers.
One of my colleagues has a very specific question with regard to immune response.
He will have a couple of statements in a national newspaper tomorrow and wants to underpin what he says and we thought was obvious, but is questioned by someone else.
Here we go: if a mother gets the flu, she will produce antibodies, specific antibodies.
Does breastfeeding convey general immune factors or does it also transfer these specific sub-groups of IgG-antibodies?
And is there a difference between a mom who gets the flu and a mom who gets the vaccination?
Will both situations have the same effect on her antibody response and will she have those specific antibodies in her milk?
Of course: breastfeeding protects, but is it the general protection that helps or is it specific protection, tailored to this specific flu that will get into that breastfed babe?
I find it quite hard to fully grasp it in all its intricate detail and will (as Gonneke suggested on another list... hahaha) definitely try and get my hands on Hanson's book.
I'm not there yet, though, and would love to hear from you whether you can point us to some kind of explanation that might be used for the larger, more ignorant public as well.
Thanks in advance, for your swift and knowledgeable input! :-)

Warmly,

Marianne Vanderveen IBCLC, Netherlands


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