Women with HIV can now breastfeed their babies as long as they are taking medications that effectively suppress the virus that causes AIDS, according to an updated guideline published in a new clinical report. The guideline is a policy change from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the top pediatrician group in the country.
The clinical report reverses recommendations from the 1980s, which marked the start of the HIV epidemic, as medications can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV through breast milk. Previously, it was thought that the risk of HIV transmission outweighed the benefits of breastfeeding in high-income countries. Contrastingly, in low- to middle-income countries, guidelines suggested that the benefits outweighed the risks.
