US Pediatricians Group Reverses Decades-Old Ban on Breastfeeding for Those With HIV

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: US News and World Report/AP

May 20, 2024, at 12:03 a.m.


People with HIV can breastfeed their babies, as long as they are taking medications that effectively suppress the virus that causes AIDS, a top U.S. pediatricians’ group said Monday in a sharp policy change.

The new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics reverses recommendations it had in place since the start of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s.

It recognizes that routinely prescribed drugs can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV via breast milk to less than 1%, said Dr. Lisa Abuogi, a pediatric HIV expert at the University of Colorado and lead author of the report. “The medications are so good now and the benefits for mom and baby are so important that we are at a point where it is important to engage in shared decision-making,” Abuogi said.

The drugs, known as antiretroviral therapy, don’t eliminate all risk of transmitting HIV through breast milk. Avoiding breastfeeding is the only certain way to prevent spreading the virus, Abuogi said.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/pennsylvania/articles/2024-05-20/us-pediatricians-group-reverses-decades-old-ban-on-breastfeeding-for-those-with-hiv

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Link to American Academy of Pediatricians NEWS RELEASE - American Academy of Pediatrics Shifts Position on Breastfeeding for People with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

[hlthe2b]

1. In this world where so few read anything but headlines, USNews needed to state "some with HIV"

or to somehow edit to include ONLY those HIV-infected mothers on HIV-suppressive drugs.

It isn't as though everyone gets ideal prenatal and postnatal care or is equally well-informed... Media needs to consider this (especially editors who typically write the headlines).

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The original source article was Associated Press (not U.S. News and World Report who uses them for wire stories)

but I think in this case, the fact that AAP decided to reverse a major recommendation - at least as an acknowledgment of recent meds that are now in use for HIV - was the bigger story.

[hlthe2b]

3. Only for readers of the full story.

We who deal with the confusion, misunderstandings, and aftermath of those who fail to do so among the public impacted would disagree strenuously that defining that limited group is not the important aspect to stress. This is not a medical journal where readers will consume/understand the full factd but news for the masses.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. CNN finally, reluctantly, included a link to their article (not at the time they claimed it was published)

They had this headline -

Moms with HIV can breastfeed if taking treatment and virus is undetectable, pediatricians’ group says

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/20/health/hiv-breastfeeding-recommendations-aap/index.html

The rest out there are using AP's wire story.