Pediatrics
AAP: Some parents with HIV can breastfeed infants
May 22, 2024
![card-image](https://cdn.epocrates.com/specialty/fhevtoe66bch/6iWfT30aHszaazaF7f7kNM/cdae87eb15031761dd627905d607855e/Breast_feeding.png)
HIV transmission risk via breastfeeding from a parent with HIV who's receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) and is virally suppressed is estimated to be less than 1%. For adults with HIV in the U.S., avoiding breastfeeding is the only infant feeding option with 0% risk of HIV transmission. However, individuals with HIV may want to breastfeed, and pediatricians should be prepared to offer an approach to support patients with HIV on ART with sustained viral suppression below 50 copies per mL who prefer to breastfeed.
Pediatric HCPs who counsel people with HIV who aren't on ART or who are on ART but without viral suppression should recommend against breastfeeding. They should also recommend HIV testing for all pregnant persons and HIV preexposure prophylaxis to pregnant or breastfeeding persons who test negative for HIV but are at high risk of acquiring HIV.
Source:
Abuogi L, et al. (2024, May 20). Pediatrics. Infant Feeding for Persons Living With and at Risk for HIV in the United States: Clinical Report. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766700/
TRENDING THIS WEEK