Notes for community health workers: Infant feeding recommendations for women living with HIV are given at the health facility or clinic.
Women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can breastfeed while adhering to antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is a form of treatment for people infected with HIV, using anti-HIV drugs.
The standard treatment for HIV consists of a combination of drugs that suppress the replication of the virus.
Women living with HIV are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months, and continue to breastfeed for up to 24 months while adhering to ART.
When a mother living with HIV exclusively breastfeeds, her baby receives all the benefits of breastfeeding, including protection from diarrhoea and other illnesses.
Test your infant for HIV according to the national testing schedule for HIV-exposed infants.
Important actions for community health workers:
Focus on the importance of adherence to ART to protect both the mother and baby.
Support mothers living with HIV to go to a clinic that provides ART or can refer for ART.
Reinforce the ART message at all contact points with a mother living with HIV, and when providing support for infant feeding.
Support the mother living with HIV to feed her baby by using counselling cards on early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, and on building your milk supply. See Counselling Cards 3-to-11to share key practices related to breastfeeding.
Reassure mothers living with HIV who do not plan to breastfeed for 12 months that even shorter durations of breastfeeding are better than never initiating breastfeeding at all.
Encourage the mother and family to follow recommended breastfeeding practices.
Identify breast conditions (mastitis, cracked and bleeding nipple, thrush) of the mother living with HIV and refer for treatment.
Encourage the mother and family to follow the recommended complementary feeding practices, starting at 6 months of age.
Let the mother and family know that the risk of mixed feeding for HIV transmission has been reduced by the use of ART. ART reduces the transmission risk of both breastfeeding and mixed feeding.
Refer a mother living with HIV to a health facility or clinic if she changes her feeding option or if she is going to run out of her medication.
