Breastfeeding

Doctors think that HIV in breast milk gets through the mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract of infants.

The gastrointestinal tract of a young baby is immature and more easily penetrated than that of adults. It is unclear whether damage to the intestinal tract of the baby, caused by the early introduction of other foods, particularly solid foods, could increase the risk of infection.

In the UK all HIV positive women are recommended to formula feed their babies to protect them from HIV.

The most important thing to know about MTCT is not how it happens, but how we can prevent it from happening. We can do this with ARVs.

Fortunately we know a lot more about that!