PHA-Exchange> BREASTFEEDING CAN SAVE OVER 1 MILLION LIVES (2)

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

Thanks for sharing this positive press release from
UNICEF. It contains several important messages for
anyone concerned about public health.

Unfortunately, the article uses the definition of
predominant breastfeeding, that is, providing no food
or milk (including of course formula). Exclusive
breastfeeding also recognizes that breast milk
contains all the water the infant needs (not included
in the list of what breast milk provides) and excludes
water and other liquids from the infant diet. Too bad  UNICEF (or the 
journalist?) missed the
opportunity to make this point, as this where
otherwise breastfeeding-positive cultures like those
in Africa fall down. 

As infants often are no longer carried on the mother's
body (allowing mothers to read subtle signals on when
they need to eliminate or eat), they need to cry to
signal when they are hungry. In grandmother's day, a
crying infant was usually a sign of disease. Partly
for this reason and partly because it's traditional,
many mothers report that older women insist on their
giving infants water, sugar water, glucose water (in
all three cases sometimes including salt, probably due
to misunderstanding of the ORS message), honey, ghee,
gripe water, and herbal teas (some of which are
hepatotoxic to newborns).

Actually, 39% of infants less than six months old are
currently being exclusively breast-fed. Very few of
these were exclusively breast-fed from birth through
six months (or even say 4 months for that matter).

As you may know, the Zhitambo study in Zimbabwe
presented findings in Bangkok confirming earlier ones
from South Africa. Exclusively breast-fed infants born
to HIV-infected mothers have double the chance for
HIV-free survival as partially breast-fed infants. 

Readers who would like to access this and other data
on the infant feeding component of PMTCT can write to
me and get an invitation to sign up for the World
Alliance for Breastfeeding Action Yahoo Group website
on HIV and Infant Feeding. 

Ted Greiner
(As of September, Senior Nutritionist, PATH,
Washington DC)



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