Sharon,

I understood that you did not believe that abrupt weaning was a good option.
When I wrote my comment, I was only addressing your one sentence comment
about exclusive breastfeeding for one year being an unrealistic goal.  But I
can understand how someone might take what I wrote to mean that you had said
abrupt weaning was a good option.  But its not what I was thinking and glad
that you have helped me clarify it.

I am not sure I understand what you mean when you say that, "in Africa, a
good solution must not only protect the baby, but also the mother from the
appearance of having HIV."  The word I am having trouble with is
"appearance."

You write that "babies may actually grow better and be healthier if they are
getting some quality supplemental food along with breastmilk--not all, but
some."  I'd need to see the studies you have seen that show this to be true,
particularly in regard to hiv transmission.  The Coutsaudis study suggests
just the opposite in regard to health or should I say hiv transmission. I
might grant you that you see more growth that is if the infant doesn't get
diarrhea (the number one killer of infants around the world including the
USA).  I do believe we have other studies that suggest that exclusive
breastfeeding is far and away more beneficial in regard to infant morbidity
and mortality than mixed feedings.

I am not sure there is an HIV epidemic in Africa or even worldwide.  In
Africa most people are never tested for hiv.  The kits are too expensive.  If
one is tested, it is by one test alone and yet in the US one must have a
second or third test to confirm being positive for hiv.   So how do we know
they have hiv/aids? AIDS in Africa is diagnosed by 4 clinical sypmtoms:
diarrhea, fever, persistant cough and weight loss of more than 10% over two
months.  These symptoms could be from TB, malaria, or bad drinking water.
How well are statistics taken in developing countries?

Drugs don't have to be effective to be profitable in our interesting world.
Whether or not human lactoferrin is a viable preventative and treatment is
overshadowed by the fact that research that shows that this human milk
component inactivates hiv in vitro is not public knowledge.  Why?  Why do
infant formula companies hold patents on human milk components?  Yes profits
will be made--and who lives to make more money and who dies so that these
people make more money? Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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