The Study That Changed the World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Breastfeeding - A HIVAN Special Forum

For years, there has been a debate over the best way to protect babies born to HIV-positive mothers living in poor areas from contracting the HI-virus through breastfeeding.

The debate has centred around whether breast or bottle is best in the presence of HIV/AIDS. As the virus is present in breastmilk, global policy has leaned heavily in favour of bottle feeding and HIV-positive mothers has been dissuaded from breastfeeding. Now a five-year intensive study from KwaZulu-Natal led by Professors Jerry Coovadia, Nigel Rollins and Anna Coutsoudis has finally settled the debate in favour of the breast (adapted from a quote by Kerry Cullinan, Sunday Tribune, 1 April 2007).

The Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking (HIVAN) hosted a special forum on 15 May 2007, at the Howard College Theatre, UKZN, which focussed on this debate.

Chaired by Prof Eleanor Preston-Whyte, Prof Jerry Coovadia; Prof Anna Coutsoudis; Dr Ruth Bland and Mary-Louise Newell presented.

These presentations can be downloaded on the righthand side of this page.