HIV and infant feeding: Summary of findings from the Good Start study

The quality of infant feeding counselling is poor with inadequate information provided for women to make appropriate choices Infant feeding counselling, as currently implemented, does not prepare women for the challenges of adhering to their infant feeding choice2. Women face new challenges in the postpartum period and ongoing community-based support and resources are important to sustain infant feeding practices. Adherence to national feeding recommendations is low, regardless of infant feeding choice (exclusive breastfeeding or exclusive formula feeding). Poor infant feeding practices, underlying health systems problems and high maternal viral load contribute to lower overall infant HIV-free survival. Inappropriate infant feeding choices have important implications for infant HIVfree survival. Funding South African National Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention South Africa, UNICEF South Africa, SIDA/NRF