Good question, Pat, and thanks to so many who sent in news of this latest
study.  It IS excellent news, because when an HIV+ mother receives
effective antiretroviral therapy several things happen:

   - She improves her own health since her own immune system is no longer
   ravaged by the virus
   - She can live a normal life-span
   - The risk of passing HIV on to her baby in utero, during birth, or
   during breastfeeding, is virtually zero (not totally zero, but very close!)
   - The risk of her passing HIV on to any sexual partner is also zero.

Antiretroviral therapy for life (and exclusive breastfeeding for the first
six months) is the way forward.  Because these drugs are taken by so many
millions of people, and can be taken as generic rather than patented drugs
now, and some countries simply refused to pay inflated costs when they have
so many HIV+ individuals to treat, the cost can be reduced to hundreds of
dollars rather than thousands (I saw an estimate of about $120 per patient
per year in South Africa vs thousands in the US).  If compared to the cost
of treating sick mothers and babies, and the cost of the virus spreading
it's really a no-brainer.  So this is really good news all round.  For the
very first time there is the chance to eliminate HIV - IF infected
individuals are tested and IF they are treated promptly so that they don't
inadvertently continue to infect others.  And - for our purposes - there is
really no need any more to prohibit breastfeeding by HIV+ mothers. So not
only do the babies not become infected, they also survive and thrive
because they're breastfed rather than succumbing to other infections due to
formula-feeding.  Win-win-win!

Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Rustington, England.

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