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Breastfeeding Among HIV-1 Infected Women: Maternal Health Outcomes and Social Repercussions

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Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Breastfeeding

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 743))

Abstract

Worldwide, the majority of HIV-infected women live in resource-constrained areas and must breastfeed because replacement feeding is not a viable option for them due to its lack of feasibility, safety, and affordability [1]. The benefits of breastfeeding are many and are often overshadowed by the risk of HIV transmission in HIV-infected mother–infant pairs. Breastfeeding confers immunological benefits to infants [2], protects infants from diarrhea and pneumonia [3, 4], and may improve cognitive function, only to name a few [5]. In low-income countries, the benefits of breastfeeding are even greater than in high-resource countries. In 2000, the World Health Organization estimated that breastfeeding could prevent 1.3 million infant deaths worldwide [6, 7].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Elizabeth Stringer MD, MSc, FACOG

  2. Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Counting House, Thabo Mbeki Road, Lusaka, Zambia

    Elizabeth Stringer MD, MSc, FACOG

  3. Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Kate Shearer MPH

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Stringer MD, MSc, FACOG
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  2. Kate Shearer MPH
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Stringer MD, MSc, FACOG .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Emory University, Buford Highway 4770, Atlanta, 30341, Georgia, USA

    Athena P. Kourtis

  2. and Prevention, Global AIDS Program - China, Centers for Disease Control, Emory University School of Medicine, Beijing, 100600, China, People's Republic

    Marc Bulterys

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Stringer, E., Shearer, K. (2012). Breastfeeding Among HIV-1 Infected Women: Maternal Health Outcomes and Social Repercussions. In: Kourtis, A., Bulterys, M. (eds) Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) and Breastfeeding. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 743. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2251-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2251-8_3

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