peterRobin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
HIV-positive mothers have been encouraged to breastfeed for the first six months while adhering to their treatment regime in order to ensure they do not pass on the virus to their babies.
This call was made in the wake of the World Breastfeeding Week which is commemorated annually during the first week of August with health experts saying breast milk protects and strengthens the immune system of the baby more than any other supplementary foods.
Aids Healthcare Foundation (AFH) medical director Dr Nkazimulo Tshuma says breastfeeding is the most important baby feeding formula as the milk is very nutritious.
“We are generally a breastfeeding nation. We therefore encourage breastfeeding in all circumstances including HIV where it should be done within the first hour of birth and exclusively for six months.
“Thereafter, other foods can be introduced from where breastfeeding can be continued until 24 months. The reason why we encourage breastfeeding is because breast milk is good for babies and it has everything a child needs and you do not need to supplement anything,” she said.
Dr Tshuma says mothers should not introduce even water to the baby’s diet as breastmilk is enough to sustain the child for the first six months.
“Breastfeeding remains the best option for the child.
In the presence of HIV, we encourage the mother to breastfeed. For some, it actually protects the child from acquiring HIV because if you offer mixed feeding for the child, their gut will not yet be mature and the risk of getting HIV from the mother is higher than in a child that is exclusively breastfeeding.”
She said there were many other factors that determine if the child was likely to get HIV through breastfeeding or not.
“We look at the mother’s immune status. If the mother is on ARVs and has been on them for a very long time with a viral load which is suppressed and if the breasts are okay and they do not have ulcers the chances of transmitting HIV to the child are low. In addition to exclusive breastfeeding, we encourage that they take their ARVs religiously and have a viral load test done every six months.
“For those that have a recent or new infection during the breastfeeding period, the chances of transmitting HIV to the child through breast milk are higher than for someone who has always been on ARVs, the reason being that the viral load will be high at that point since the mother will not have been taking ARVs,” she said.
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