Aidsmap | Short course AZT for breastfeeding mothers: warning of viral rebound when AZT stopped
Michael Carter, Monday, September 27, 2004
"The use of AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir) by mothers to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies lowers HIV viral load in breastmilk and reduces the risk of postnatal HIV transmission, according to a study published in the October 15th edition of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. However, the study also established that when women stop taking AZT prophylaxis there is a temporary burst in HIV replication in breast milk, increasing infant exposure to the virus and the risks of infection with HIV. Because of this fidning the investigators recommend that mothers should continue to take AZT prophylaxis as long as they breastfeed...."