Dear all:

While I am sure that there are some who are not breastfeeding in Haiti, there are probably far more who are because they really don't have the option to do otherwise.  Here are some good figures on how the risks of not breastfeeding increase when sanitation is poor:

The relative risk of infant death among infants who are formula fed compared to infants who are breastfed is:

* 2.5 fold greater when flush toilets and piped water are available.
* 2.7 fold greater when flush toilets are available but piped water is not
* 5 fold greater when neither flush toilets nor piped are available

Source:  Habicht J-P, DaVanzo J, & Butz WP. Mother’s Milk and Sewage.  Their Interactive Effects on Infant Mortality.  Pediatrics. 1988;81 (3) 456-520. 

I'm listening to the radio right now about how horrific the sanitation conditions are right now in Haiti.  

There are plenty of studies (mainly in Africa in areas where HIV rates are probably similar to those in Haiti) confirming that EXCLUSIVE breastfeeding does not increase the risk of transmission of HIV to the infant, it is MIXED feeding that does.  In these situations where supplies are limited, I am sure that many would end up in that MIXED feeding situation if large quantities of formula are donated. 

Best regards, 

Susan Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC
NYLCA President

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