Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bottled Up: As UNICEF Battles Baby-Formula Makers, African Infants Sicken
Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (12/05/00) P. A1 Freedman, Alix M.; Stecklow, Steve
Between 1.1 million and 1.7 million infants, mostly in Africa, have contracted HIV from breast-feeding. Often in the developing world, HIV-infected mothers are not told that infant formula is an alternative to breast-feeding that could help protect their children from AIDS. The issue has pitted the $3 billion infant-formula industry, which says it is prepared to donate loads of free formula to infected women, against UNICEF, which will not approve the donations because it does not want to support an industry that it has accused of abusive practices in developing nations. During the 1970s, Nestle SA and other formula companies aggressively promoted formula in developing nations; however, by the time the free samples were used up, the women were often no longer producing their own milk and the formula was too expensive for them to buy. As some women diluted the milk to make it last longer and some babies starved as a result, a global boycott of Nestle was organized by activists and UNICEF began to reject cash donations from any of the large formula makers--something it has also done with land mine producers and cigarette companies. In the 1980s, UNICEF and the World Health Organization developed a voluntary marketing code for formula makers, one which restricted advertising and virtually prohibited the distribution of free and low-cost formula. But that code was not developed with the AIDS epidemic in mind, and many experts say UNICEF should look past previous events to help poor mothers with HIV and their babies. However, UNICEF head Carol Bellamy asserts that "breast is best," and she points out that the lack of adequate sanitation in many areas poses its own risks for formula users, possibly exposing babies to diarrhea and other deadly diseases, while antibodies in breast milk could help prevent such illnesses. Research indicates that about 15 percent of HIV-infected pregnant women in Africa will transmit the virus to their infants via breast- feeding. UNICEF officials have also voiced concerns that giving formula to HIV-infected mothers could affect support for breast-feeding among healthy mothers. Two years ago, UNICEF and other United Nations agencies modified their position on breast-feeding in the developing world. The "informed choice" policy holds that infected women should be told about the benefits and risks of breast-feeding and of alternatives like formula, but the statement does not say how poor HIV-infected women who want to use formula are supposed to obtain it.
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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
