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Subject:
From:
Pamela Morrison IBCLC <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 22 Nov 2001 11:42:02 +0200
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Kate

Thank you for alerting us to the NY Times article.  This is the area where I
like to try out my advocacy skills.

The most important sentences in this article are:

1) the heading, "Formula Supported for Mothers With H.I.V.", which alerts us
to the bias of the NY Times, since a careful scrutiny of the actual study
alerts us to several flaws,

2)  the statement, "The report from the University of Nairobi and the
University of Washington in Seattle found no significant difference in death
rates or various illnesses between breast-fed and formula-fed babies."

Perhaps this statement is meant to lull us into a sense of security that
it's OK to use formula in a developing country setting. However, Lactnetters
might be interested to know that mortality rates at 24 months for these
babies, who were *randomized* to formula and breastfeeding (ie individual
HIV+ mothers had to agree to allow a computer to choose their babies'
feeding method so that the researchers could examine the consequences) was a
whopping 20% and 24% respectively which was not considered to be
significantly different.  That's one baby in five dying before the age of 2,
who although apparently "saved" from any possibility of acquiring HIV
through an infected mother's milk nevertheless apparently died of other
causes for which breastfeeding would have been protective.

So if there was no *difference* in mortality rates, ie no *benefit*, then
what possible justification could there be for the use of formula,
especially bearing in mind the cost, the lower nutritional status of the
formula fed babies (ooops, I see that they forgot to mention this ...) and
the deliberate sabotage of the existing breastfeeding culture?  So should
the use of formula really be "supported" in these circumstances?

Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Harare, Zimbabwe
email:[log in to unmask]

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