The comment by Barbara regarding subjective impressions about the extent of
mastitis occurrence prompts me to ask if anyone who works or has worked with
traditional or developing communities has any feelings about or impressions
of mastitis amongst these people. I have spoken with nurses who have worked
with traditional aboriginal communities in the north of Australia and their
feeling is that mastitis is nowhere near as prevalent as as it is with the
more affluent white  communities. Ann Prentice reported an incidence rate of
around 2.6%/month in women presenting to rural clinics in The Gambia,
otherwise there is (I think) only the Bangladeshi, Malawian and Tanzanian
studies reporting around 15 - 25% women with raised sodium and cytokine
levels in milk - however clinical symptoms of mastitis were not reported on.
I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has experience in these
types of communities and what your impressions are.

Cathy Fetherston
Clinical Midwife IBCLC MSc

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