{{Mothers living with HIV, who breastfeed exclusively for longer than the first four months, lower the risk of transmitting the virus to their babies.}}<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The research dispels the argument that weaning children from breast milk early, lowers risks of passing on HIV.<\/p>\n
The study examined the prevalence of the HIV-1 strain among 958 women and their infants in Lusaka, Zambia, over a 24-month period.<\/p>\n
The women were randomly asked to wean abruptly at four months, or to continue breastfeeding for a duration of their choice.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigher milk viral concentrations after stopping breastfeeding were found to be higher than expected rates of late postnatal HIV transmission in those who weaned early,\u201d the study says.<\/p>\n
The study suggests frequency of breastfeeding influenced the level of HIV in breast milk.<\/p>\n
The study encourages the continuation of antiretroviral treatment for mothers even after weaning their children from breast milk. <\/p>\n
Before 2006, the World Health Organisation recommended that only women with a low CD4 count should receive ARVs. <\/p>\n
The guidelines encouraged HIV-positive mothers to exclusively breastfeed for six months and then rapidly wean to avoid transmitting HIV to their infant.<\/p>\n
Every year, at least 1.5 million women living with HIV become pregnant globally, according to the World Health Organisation. <\/p>\n
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%.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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