AN ANALYSIS OF THE INACURRATE INFORMATION ABOUT HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN AND BREASTFEEDING DAVID CROWE
December 14, 2002
By David Crowe
"Breastfeeding by HIV-positive women has been frowned upon for a long time. In fact, in at least one case, it has been declared illegal for an HIV-positive woman. This view is based on inaccurate information, and it seems likely that breastfeeding is the best thing that HIV-positive mothers could possibly do for their babies, just as is the case for all other mothers.
It only took two anecdotal cases for the CDC to warn against HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding, but it was a meta-analysis published by Dunn et al in Lancet in 1992 that was the beginning of the end for choice in feeding practices. This study concluded that breastfeeding posed a 14% excess risk of HIV transmission. Since then, breastfeeding has been difficult for women in poor countries, and a huge amount of effort by WHO, Unicef and others has gone into studying and implementing replacement feeding (i.e. formula) by mothers in poor countries.
Dunn believed that the HIV status of breastfed children was a combination of HIV transmission in the womb (in utero transmission) and through breastmilk. He therefore, searched for data sets that compared the HIV transmission frequency of formula fed and breastfed babies. He found six, from Zaire, Miami, France, Switzerland, Australia as well as a pan-European study. He subtracted the HIV transmission frequency of the formula fed babies (which he believed could only be due to in utero transmission) from the frequency in breastfed babies for each study. His 14% figure was a weighted average of the difference in each study.
This is very clever but, like all meta-analyses (those that use the output of other researchers as their raw material) it is subject to the GIGO principle (Garbage In ? Garbage Out). And, in the case of the studies used by Dunn, there are enough holes to drive trucks full of formula through (and many have been)." [RedFlagsWeekly.com is well known for its thorough criticism of health care establishment issues, and this essay on breastfeeding and HIV is no exception - JC]
Saturday, December 28, 2002
Tuesday, December 24, 2002
Nestle makes PR blunder in Ethiopia - Japan's Leading International News Network Japan Today Japan News - News,
Fred Brigland
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 09:30 JST
[Nestle's efforts to recover $6.3B from Ethopia are called a major PR blunder in this article, which also adresses Nestle's controversial third-world infant formula marketing practices. - jc]
Fred Brigland
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 09:30 JST
[Nestle's efforts to recover $6.3B from Ethopia are called a major PR blunder in this article, which also adresses Nestle's controversial third-world infant formula marketing practices. - jc]
More mothers take breastfeeding route - smh.com.auRuth Pollard, Health Writer, SMH.com.au,
December 24 2002
" seems the message that breast is best is getting through, with rates of breastfeeding on the rise in Australia, helped along by more family-friendly workplaces and improved support services for new mothers.
Mirroring US trends, the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding has moved to around 87-90 per cent, according to Karen Simmer, professor of Newborn Medicine at the University of Western Australia.
That rate drops to 45-50 per cent at six months, presenting a continuing challenge for families and breastfeeding advocates...."
December 24 2002
" seems the message that breast is best is getting through, with rates of breastfeeding on the rise in Australia, helped along by more family-friendly workplaces and improved support services for new mothers.
Mirroring US trends, the number of mothers initiating breastfeeding has moved to around 87-90 per cent, according to Karen Simmer, professor of Newborn Medicine at the University of Western Australia.
That rate drops to 45-50 per cent at six months, presenting a continuing challenge for families and breastfeeding advocates...."
53, and child busy
Lisa Kremer; The News Tribune
Morgan Zantua's magical baby has become a magical toddler.
An outgoing, loving, curious, talkative toddler. Quite a handful for a 53-year-old first-time mom.
Zantua made the news earlier this year when we told the story of her surprise first-time pregnancy at 51....
When we last interviewed Zantua, she had a part-time job and several contract jobs, still was breast-feeding 9-month-old Auriel and took her everywhere she went.
Some things have changed, some haven't. Zantua still breast-feeds, and intends to at least until Auriel's second birthday. She's been swayed by studies showing the innumerable benefits to babies of breast-feeding - and reports that the longer mothers breast-feed, the less their chance of getting breast cancer."
Lisa Kremer; The News Tribune
Morgan Zantua's magical baby has become a magical toddler.
An outgoing, loving, curious, talkative toddler. Quite a handful for a 53-year-old first-time mom.
Zantua made the news earlier this year when we told the story of her surprise first-time pregnancy at 51....
When we last interviewed Zantua, she had a part-time job and several contract jobs, still was breast-feeding 9-month-old Auriel and took her everywhere she went.
Some things have changed, some haven't. Zantua still breast-feeds, and intends to at least until Auriel's second birthday. She's been swayed by studies showing the innumerable benefits to babies of breast-feeding - and reports that the longer mothers breast-feed, the less their chance of getting breast cancer."
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