Effects of early, abrupt weaning on HIV-free survival of children in Zambia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In low-resource settings, many programs recommend that women who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) stop breast-feeding early. We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate whether abrupt weaning at 4 months as compared with the standard practice has a net benefit for HIV-free survival of children.

Methods

We enrolled 958 HIV-infected women and their infants in Lusaka, Zambia. All the women planned to breast-feed exclusively to 4 months; 481 were randomly assigned to a counseling program that encouraged abrupt weaning at 4 months, and 477 to a program that encouraged continued breast-feeding for as long as the women chose. The primary outcome was either HIV infection or death of the child by 24 months.

Results

In the intervention group,

SUBMITTER: Kuhn L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2577610 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature