HIV moms must not breastfeed<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta<\/p>\n
HIV positive mothers have been advised not to breastfeed their
\nbabies to avoid them contracting the virus.<\/p>\n
A HIVAIDS activist said on Friday that although the risk of
\nbeing infected by the virus through breastfeeding was lower at
\nabout 30 percent than the risk from blood transfusions at more
\nthan 90 percent, the chances of possible infection remained open.<\/p>\n
\"We would therefore urge HIV positive mothers to feed their
\ninfants with powdered milk,\" said Toha Muhaimin, who is also the
\nchairman of the non-governmental organization Pelita Ilmu
\nFoundation (YPI).<\/p>\n
A report issued earlier this week by the Joint United Nations
\nProgram on HIV\/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the number of people
\nliving with HIV\/AIDS (PLWHA) rose to 38 million in 2003 from 35
\nmillion in 2001.<\/p>\n
Out of the 2003 figure, 2.5 million PLWHA, or approximately
\n6.5 percent, were children of under 15 years of age, it said.<\/p>\n
Based on data from the Ministry of Health, during the 2001-
\n2002 period 14,283 mothers tested positive for HIV.<\/p>\n
They gave birth to at least 13,957 babies, but only 1,730 of
\nthem were infected with HIV thanks to the Prevention Mother To
\nChild HIV Transmission (PMTCT) program.<\/p>\n
The program focuses on the comprehensive prevention steps
\nneeded by HIV positive women to prevent their babies from being
\ninfected.<\/p>\n
Under the program, which has been introduced by the YPI, HIV
\npositive mothers are advised to take three precautionary
\nmeasures, with the first being the taking of antiretroviral (ARV)
\ndrugs on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
The other two measures are to give birth by caesarean section
\n(c-section), and to avoid breastfeeding.<\/p>\n
\"The ARV drugs will help the mothers to remain fit during
\ntheir pregnancies so that the risk of infecting their infants
\nwith the virus will be low,\" Muhaimin said.<\/p>\n
He said that c-section operations could help reduce the risk
\nof newborn babies being infected with HIV by up to 8 percent,
\ncompared to a risk level of between 20 percent and 40 percent in
\nthe case of natural births.<\/p>\n
\"To further minimize the risk, don't breastfeed, but rather
\nfeed your children with powdered milk,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The YPI started implementing its own three-year PMTCT program
\nin 1998. The program involves providing voluntary testing and
\ncounseling (VCT) services to 558 pregnant women, 16 of whom had
\ntested HIV positive.<\/p>\n
Following the program, none of the 11 babies born to the
\nmothers were infected with the virus.<\/p>\n
In 2003, the foundation launched a two-year PMTCT program
\nintended to provide VCT services to 2,000 women.<\/p>\n
Funded by the Global Funds, the US$100,000 program has so far
\nreached 599 expecting mothers, including 10 with HIV. The results
\nare still not known as the 10 women have yet to give birth.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hiv-moms-must-not-breastfeed-1447893297",
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