HIV positive mothers can
exclusively breastfeed their babies
for six months to keep them healthy
and free of infection if placed on
anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), the
World Health Organisation (WHO)
has said.
David Okello, the WHO Country
Representative, made the affirmation
in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on
Monday.
He said that although a mother
could transmit the virus to her baby
through breastfeeding, such
transmission could be negated
through the use of modern ARVs
because of their advanced
formulation.
``There is evidence now that ARV
does protect the mother as well as
the baby and also that the mother
can breastfeed for six months and
thereafter she can consider other
supplementary feeding.
``Information from around the
world has shown that it is safe for
the mother to breastfeed her baby
than not to breastfeed the baby; not
breastfeeding the baby is
dangerous, the child will die of
malnutrition.''
In a similar vein, the Minister of
Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, urged
mothers to adhere to exclusive
breastfeeding in the first six months
as he launched flyers on ``Infant
and Young Child Feeding in the
Context of HIV'' on Sunday.
Mr. Chukwu explained that such
exclusiveness would enable the child
to have the required nutrition
needed for good health.

I think this is a good news, but people really need a serious education to belief this.