Mothers who have HIV, can breastfeeding? & bull; hello healthy

HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a virus that attacks the immune system, specifically white blood cells, which then causes the body to become weak and weak. According to WHO data, at the end of 2015 it was known that there were about 36.7 million people diagnosed with HIV, and the death of HIV positive sufferers reached 1.1 million in 2015. Meanwhile in Indonesia itself, data from the Ministry of Health shows that In 2014 it is estimated that there are approximately 9,589 women and 13,280 men who are HIV positive.

HIV is a viral infectious disease that can be transmitted through sexual intercourse and the exchange of body fluids, such as in mothers who are pregnant or mothers who breastfeed their children. Without proper and proper treatment, people who are infected with HIV for years will develop AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Meanwhile, until now people who have AIDS cannot be treated because there is no cure for this disease.

What if a mother who is breastfeeding is HIV positive? Isn't she allowed to breastfeed the baby? We all know that babies need breast milk to support their growth and development in the golden age. The following is an explanation of whether an HIV positive mother can breastfeed and give her breast milk or not.

Can the HIV virus be transmitted through breast milk?

It has been known previously that breast milk is the most suitable food to be given to newborns. There is no longer a food that is as perfect as breast milk that can be digested by babies easily, prevents various infectious diseases, and is a good source of food for the child's growth and development process.

However, if the mother is HIV positive, it is feared that breastfeeding the baby can transmit the baby. Breast milk can contain the HIV virus in the mother which is then passed on to the baby. At least the risk of a child being infected through breastfeeding from an HIV positive mother to the baby is 15-45%. UNICEF stated that in 2001 as many as 800 thousand children had HIV as a result of infection from HIV-positive mothers.

Previously, WHO recommended not giving breast milk to children whose mothers are HIV positive. Previous studies have suggested that exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life increases the risk of HIV transmission from mother to baby 3 to 4 times, compared to children who are given formula milk. But now this is no longer the case, because a new study states that by taking drugs and taking medication, it can prevent the HIV virus from being transmitted to the child's body.

Antiretroviral drugs can prevent transmission through breast milk

The study, which involved 2,431 pairs of mothers and children, was conducted in South Africa, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and India from 2011 to 2014. Then, the researchers gave antiretroviral drugs to mothers who were HIV positive, since the mother was pregnant. , giving birth, to breastfeeding. The drug is one of the drugs given to patients who are HIV positive, but cannot make them recover. These antiretroviral drugs can only slow down the growth of the virus and prevent multiplication from occurring.

The administration of this drug is considered effective enough to prevent transmission from occurring, because it is proven by the results of a study which showed that in Malawi there was a 42% reduction in the transmission rate in children who were breastfed from HIV positive mothers. In this group of women, they were given the antiretroviral drug nevirapine every day as long as they were breastfeeding within 6 months. Not only that, a decrease in the rate of transmission also occurred in South Africa, which showed a decrease of up to 18%.

Until now, maybe many people think that breastfeeding from HIV positive mothers is dangerous for the baby, but breast milk is still the best food for babies. In fact, WHO states that babies born to HIV positive mothers die more often from malnutrition and have poor health status due to malnutrition, not from the HIV virus that is transmitted. Or, babies more often die from infectious diseases that are often experienced by toddlers, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and various infectious diseases that are not related to HIV. Meanwhile, many studies have proven that breastfeeding can prevent children from experiencing these infectious diseases.

So, should a mother with HIV breastfeed her baby?

Even so, mothers who are positive for having the HIV virus in their bodies are advised to provide exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months with treatment to reduce the risk of transmission to their babies. Unlike healthy mothers who still have to breastfeed until the child is 2 years old and provide complementary foods after 6 months. In HIV positive mothers, children older than 6 months are advised to consume soft foods and various fluids as a substitute for breast milk. In addition, it is necessary to carry out routine baby health checks, so that doctors can monitor the baby's growth and development and see his health status.