Ouch!  Flattered as I am, I make NO claim to being any kind of expert on HIV
and breastfeeding.  Thanks, Judy, but no thanks!
I was puzzled by what Francoise wrote.  It was the HIV positive MOTHERS who
had higher mortality, not the babies of HIV positive mothers.  This does seem
improbable.  Without any reference to follow up and read for yourself, I
would not put much stock in this report.

Chris Mulford

Francoise wrote:
<< We have here in France a journal (for general public, read in all France) ,
 which is publishing that, at the XIII international AIDS conference in
 Durban, was given the results of a recent study : mortality rate is twice
 more high in HIV-positive mothers when they are breastfeeding than when they
 are bottle feeding !!!???? They give stricly no reference.
 Seem to me VERY improbable.  >>
If it was not exclusive breastfeeding, it might be true, when you couple the
damage done and the changes that occur in the gut, and then mix with breast
milk feeds containing the virus, that might explain the numbers. On the other
hand, the Coustoudis study where moms EXCLUSIVELY breastfed, the babies had
about the same transmission rate as for No Breastfeeding infants, about 14% I
think, but that is off the top of my head. Chris Mulford is one of the
experts on this issue so maybe she has or will respond to your question...
Judy LeVan Fram, Brooklyn, NY

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