Experts have long suspected that breast milk may have the power to prevent babies from getting infected with HIV, and new research gives insight into why that might be so.
Researchers say they've discovered a component of breast milk that appears to kill the virus that causes AIDS, potentially preventing some babies from becoming infected by their mothers.
"Even though we have anti-retroviral drugs that can work to prevent mother-to-child transmission, not every pregnant woman is being tested for HIV, and less than 60 percent are receiving the prevention drugs -- particularly in countries with few resources," study senior author Dr. Sallie Permar, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke University, said in a university statement. "There is still a need for alternative strategies to prevent mother-to-child transmission, which is why this work is important."
According to UNICEF, an estimated 330,000 children worldwide in 2011 became infected by their mothers during pregnancy or birth. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_141744.html
No comments:
Post a Comment