{{Mothers living with HIV, who breastfeed exclusively for longer than the first four months, lower the risk of transmitting the virus to their babies.}}
A study published, recently, in the Science Translational Medicine shows that mothers who stop breastfeeding abruptly have higher levels of HIV than those who continue breastfeeding.
The research dispels the argument that weaning children from breast milk early, lowers risks of passing on HIV.
The study examined the prevalence of the HIV-1 strain among 958 women and their infants in Lusaka, Zambia, over a 24-month period.
The women were randomly asked to wean abruptly at four months, or to continue breastfeeding for a duration of their choice.
After six weeks, researchers discovered a higher viral load in breast milk of mothers, who had stopped breastfeeding, compared to those who chose to continue breastfeeding.
The study also found that those who breastfed their infants exclusively had a signifi cantly lower viral load, compared to those who also fed their babies on other foods.
“Higher milk viral concentrations after stopping breastfeeding were found to be higher than expected rates of late postnatal HIV transmission in those who weaned early,” the study says.
The study suggests frequency of breastfeeding influenced the level of HIV in breast milk.
The study encourages the continuation of antiretroviral treatment for mothers even after weaning their children from breast milk.
Before 2006, the World Health Organisation recommended that only women with a low CD4 count should receive ARVs.
The guidelines encouraged HIV-positive mothers to exclusively breastfeed for six months and then rapidly wean to avoid transmitting HIV to their infant.
Every year, at least 1.5 million women living with HIV become pregnant globally, according to the World Health Organisation.
Studies show that without taking ARVs, babies stand a 15% to 45% chance of contracting HIV if their mothers are infected, but taking ARVs reduces transmission to below 5%.
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