HIV Risk Reduced During Breastfeeding By Extending Drug Regimens

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Malawi College of Medicine have found that extending routine antiretroviral regimens can significantly reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission while breastfeeding. Typically in developing countries, babies born to mothers with HIV receive a single dose of nevirapine and a one-week dose of zidovudine to prevent transmission of HIV from the mother to baby.

It's a bit tricky. In resource-rich countries like the United States, it is not recommended (per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for to HIV-positive mothers to breastfeed at all; if a mother does not breastfeed, it won't increase mortality. In resource-poor nations, the risk of mortality from infection is much higher, so breastfeeding is still recommended. Taha E. Taha, MD, PhD, senior author of the study states, "We know that breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life is extremely important for the child’s health and survival, especially in resource poor countries. However, women with HIV face a difficult choice because they are also putting the child at risk for HIV. Our findings clearly show that extended drug regimens can significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission from breastfeeding.”