The HIV question got me really thinking. I spoke to a non-lactnetter health educator who specializes in lactation. She also does the HIV education for a large HMO. She let me know the following: An HIV-positive infant can be tested for the actual virus. The common ELISA HIV test tests only for the antibody. Lots of HIV-positive infants seroconvert to negative once the mother's antibodies are no longer present. This can take up to two years. The test is about $1000, uses a lot of blood and can take up to eight weeks to get the results. An HIV-positive baby she would breastfeed. An HIV-negative baby she would not breastfeed. The vertical transmission of the virus is down to 15-30%. (Vertical transmission is transmission from mother to baby.) The rates have been declining because of better techniques during birth and the use of AZT and similar drugs. HIV-positive breastfed children live an average of 18 months longer than artificially-fed children. Breastmilk provides the antibodies and the IgA to fight the infection. Breastmilk has antiviral substances that can destroy the protein coat of the cell. An individual with a new HIV infection is up to 12 times more likely to pass the virus on than a person with an "old" infection. Her suggestion was to have breastmilk pasteurized while awaiting test results. Elizabeth