Breastfeeding dangers.Anti-HIV drugs have played an important role in greatly reducing the risk of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. transmission from mother to child (also called "vertical transmission"). However, transmission is also possible through breastfeeding, so HIV-infected mothers are warned against breastfeeding their children. Now, researchers at the University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi also known as UON is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an institution goes back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970 when the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: in Africa have identified another reason not to breastfeed--higher risk of death for the HIV-infected mother. The researchers studied 425 HIV-positive mothers in Nairobi Nairobi (nīrō`bē), city (1996 pop. 3,000,000), capital of Kenya, S Kenya, in the E African highlands. Nairobi is Kenya's largest city and its administrative, communications, and economic center. . Two years after delivery, HIV-positive mothers who breastfed had a death rate of 10.5% compared to 3.8% in mothers who used formula. Also, this effect extended to children, since the children of mothers who died from AIDS were 8 times more likely to die than children with surviving mothers. The reasons for the increased death rate are not clear. The research is published in The Lancet lancet /lan·cet/ (lan´set) a small, pointed, two-edged surgical knife. lan·cet n. (357:9269, p. 1651, 2001). |
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