The Breast Solution
Nature's nutrition keeps HIV at bay
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is ravaging Africa. In some regions south of the Sahara Desert, more than 35 percent of the population is infected. Each year, as many as 700,000 children acquire HIV from their infected mothers during pregnancy, labor, or breast-feeding.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/7112.jpg?resize=113%2C150&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/7113.jpg?resize=230%2C300&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/7114.jpg?resize=300%2C243&ssl=1)
In developed countries, by contrast, mother-to-child HIV transmission has been virtually eradicated. Pregnant women take anti-HIV drugs to minimize the chance of passing the virus to their babies. Delivery by cesarean section removes the danger of HIV reaching a baby during birth. And use of infant formulas eliminates the possibility of infection through a mother’s breast milk. As a result, fewer than 2 percent of babies born to HIV-positive mothers in developed countries become infected.