Katy, In a message dated 4/22/99 4:26:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, you wrote: << I believe that HIV DOES cause AIDS, and that HIV CAN be transmitted through breastmilk. >> I, too, believe that HIV causes AIDS. The science on this is very clear! I also know that HIV can be transmitted through breastmilk. The case that is best known is that of Ariel Glazer the daughter of Elizabeth Glaser and Paul Michael Glaser. Elizabeth was transfused after Ariel's birth with blood from a man who relatively shortly thereafter died of AIDS. The time between the donation of the blood and the man's death was such that it could be clearly established retrospectively that he was infected with HIV at the time that he donated the unit of blood that was given to Mrs Glaser. Elizabeth breastfed Ariel. Eventually, Ariel and then Elizabeth started getting sick. Their immune systems were failing; their T-cell counts dropping. When they could be tested, they both tested positive for HIV antibodies. Paul was not the source of the infection. He tested negative. The source of Elizabeth's infection was traced to the blood donor and Ariel's infection to Elizabeth's breastmilk. HIV is not transmitted casually and breastfeeding was the only possible route of transmission from Elizabeth to Ariel. Elizabeth Glaser died in 1994 and was preceded in death by Ariel. Elizabeth established the Pediatric AIDS Foundation in 1988 so that other children might be spared Ariel's fate. It was renamed in Elizabeth's memory on World AIDS Day 1998. The website is at <A HREF="http://www.pedaids.org/">Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation </A> . Warmly, Carol Kelley LLLL Taylors SC USA mailto:[log in to unmask] *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html