Modeling the Effects of Different Infant Feeding Strategies on Infant Survival and Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2004-07, Vol.94 (7), p.1174-1180
• Main Authors: Ross, Jay S, Labbok, Miriam H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Age; Age Factors; AIDS; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Bottle Feeding - adverse effects; Bottle Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breast Feeding - adverse effects; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breastfeeding & lactation; Cause of Death; Child, Preschool; Condoms; Decision Trees; Delivery. Postpartum. Lactation; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Disease transmission; Drug therapy; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Health surveys; HIV; HIV Infections - mortality; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - transmission; HIV Seroprevalence; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Hygiene; Infant; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Infections; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - statistics & numerical data; Infectious diseases; Malnutrition; Maternal, fetal and perinatal monitoring; Medical sciences; Mothers; Mothers - education; Mothers - psychology; Poverty; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Public health; Research and Practice; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Sensitivity and Specificity; Simulation; Survival Analysis; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.94.7.1174

We investigated how, under various conditions, the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breastfeeding compares with the risk of death from artificial feeding. We developed a spreadsheet simulation model to predict HIV-free survival during 7 age intervals from 0 to 24 months for 5 different infant feeding scenarios in resource-poor settings. Compared with artificial feeding, breastfeeding during the first 6 months by HIV-positive mothers increases HIV-free survival by 32 per 1000 live births. After 6 months, as the age-specific mortality rate and risk of death caused by replacement feeding both decline, replacement feeding appears to be safer. Under conditions common in countries with high HIV prevalence, replacement feeding by HIV-infected mothers should not be generally encouraged until after the infant is approximately 6 months old.