HIV and Infant Feeding - Review of HIV Transmission Through Breastfeeding Jointly Issued by UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO Guidelines - Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (UNAIDS, 1998, 26 p.): Mother-to-child transmission: (introduction...)

HIV and Infant Feeding - Review of HIV Transmission Through Breastfeeding Jointly Issued by UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO Guidelines - Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (UNAIDS, 1998, 26 p.)

(introduction...)

Explanation of terms

Introduction

Mother-to-child transmission

(introduction...)

HIV infection in women

Rates of mother-to-child transmission

Evidence for breast-milk transmission

(introduction...)

Mechanisms of breast-milk transmission

Quantifying the risk of breast-milk transmission

Timing of HIV transmission during breastfeeding

Colostrum and mature milk

Factors associated with the risk of mother-to-child transmission

Anti-infective properties of breast milk in women with HIV

General infections

HIV infection

Strategies to reduce breast-milk transmission

Primary prevention

Replacement feeding

Early cessation of breastfeeding

Treatment of breast milk

Wet-nursing by a tested HIV-negative woman

Antiretroviral therapy

Summary and Conclusion

References

(introduction...)

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, which can occur during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding, is responsible for more than 90% of HIV infection in children worldwide (UNAIDS/WHO, 1998). The present review focuses on HIV-1. Both HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2) can be transmitted from mother to child, but HIV-2 is transmitted much less frequently, as it is less pathogenic than HIV-1 (Adjorlolo-Johnson et al., 1994; Andreasson et al., 1993; Morgan et al., 1990).

The remaining 10% of paediatric infections are attributed to transfusion with contaminated blood and blood products, use of contaminated medical equipment, other practices that cut or pierce the skin, or sexual contact (MAP, 1998; UNAIDS/WHO, 1998; Tovo et al., 1988).