On Mon, 9 Jun 1997, Annelies Bon wrote:

> Does anyone know more about the research that showed that some babies
> born with HIV antibodies in their blood are HIV negative a few months
> later? I wonder what the role of breastfeeding migth be here.
> --
Not much, I am afraid: the antibodies the baby is born with are his (her)
mother's, and they die off after a while. If the baby does not have the
virus, he (she) does not make antibodies, and becomes negative. If the
virus was passed to the baby in utero and/or through breastfeeding, the
baby will start making his (her) own antibodies, and will remain
HIV-positive.
By the way, it was our policy not to grant preventive reassignement in
the workplace for anything but chemical risks for breastfeeding (i.e. a
woman working in a place dangerous for her pregnancy or the breastfeeding
has a right to job reassignement, without loss of pay or security). This
morning, when confronted with a workplace with a significant risk of
contamination of the mother with HIV, I forcefully endorsed the position
that a breasfeeding woman should be reassigned, adn I think I convinced a
few.

Louise Denhez, M.D., M.P.H
Montreal, Quebec,Canada