Our local milk bank does the following tests for all new donors: Hepatitis
A,B, and C, VDRL (syphilis), rubella titer, a TB tine, HIV and
HTLV-1(retrovirus that can lead to lymphoma).

There might be some sticky legal implications for all involved if this baby
is given human milk without the legal parent or guardian's permission.  Maybe
our friendly lawyer could give some general guidelines on this. I'd be very
wary of giving advice for a previous client's friend's relative's ill baby.

According to Riordan and Auerbach's Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, there
is some loss of immunoglobulins IgA, IgG and IgM.  My best guess would be
that it wouldn't be worth sending the milk out of state, expensively
processed and then returned.  Most insurances I've dealt with have deemed
human milk a nutritional supplement, not a medically necessary treatment, and
therefore have not paid for it for babies who were not hospitalized.

RSV is a common childhood respiratory infection, and, yes, it certainly can
be dangerous, but even breastfed babies can get it.  I'd be cautious of not
guilt-tripping anybody.

I hope all the babies are doing better by now....

Happy New Year to all !!!!

Elizabeth Puzar, IBCLC, mother of a fully breastfed asthmatic with chronic
ear infections --go figure!  She weaned at age four.  She also gets hives.