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Global Health Watch 1 in one file

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USAID has also funded work on breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g, ma<strong>in</strong>ly through NGOs like<br />

WELSTART and LINKAGES. The Canadian International Development Agency<br />

has also begun to take an <strong>in</strong>terest. The work of all these agencies should likewise<br />

be monitored.<br />

Promotion of breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g scorecard<br />

UNICEF: B + (requires more fund<strong>in</strong>g to reach an A grade)<br />

WHO: C +<br />

Swedish and Dutch aid agencies: A<br />

Other Scand<strong>in</strong>avian bilaterals: B+<br />

USAID and CIDA: B -<br />

Support of the code scorecard<br />

UNICEF: A+<br />

Swedish and Dutch aid agencies: A<br />

WHO: C<br />

Indicator 2: Promot<strong>in</strong>g HIV-free survival <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>fants born to HIV-positive<br />

mothers In 1997, UNICEF jo<strong>in</strong>ed WHO and UNAIDS <strong>in</strong> chang<strong>in</strong>g UN agency<br />

recommendations on the feed<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>in</strong>fants born to HIV-positive mothers <strong>in</strong><br />

low-<strong>in</strong>come sett<strong>in</strong>gs, <strong>in</strong> response to political pressure. This was d<strong>one</strong> with little<br />

consultation or <strong>in</strong>volvement of child health and breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g experts. Part<br />

of the motivation for the change was that breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g reduced the overall<br />

impact of short-course AZT (an antiretroviral drug) <strong>in</strong> reduc<strong>in</strong>g vertical HIV<br />

transmission. However, the <strong>in</strong>itial enthusiasm to reduce mother-to-child transmission<br />

did not consider carefully enough the trade-off between HIV transmission<br />

and the impact of breastmilk substitution on <strong>in</strong>fant survival.<br />

In addition, UNICEF programmes and other programmes began to subsidize<br />

and provide free <strong>in</strong>fant formula to HIV-positive mothers. In 1998 UN-<br />

AIDS, UNICEF and WHO announced they were giv<strong>in</strong>g free formula to 30,000<br />

babies born to low-<strong>in</strong>come mothers at 11 pilot sites. Concerns that this would<br />

lead to unsafe feed<strong>in</strong>g or mixed feed<strong>in</strong>g (which might result <strong>in</strong> a higher rate<br />

of HIV transmission from breastmilk) were not addressed. It was commonly<br />

expla<strong>in</strong>ed that <strong>in</strong>formed choice on how to feed was a human right, and that<br />

the provision of free formula helped women to fulfil their right.<br />

Amaz<strong>in</strong>gly, these pilot sites were only evaluated <strong>in</strong> relation to logistical<br />

issues, and not <strong>in</strong> relation to child health outcomes. Given the failure to evaluate<br />

child health outcomes and the difficulty of keep<strong>in</strong>g an <strong>in</strong>fant alive without<br />

breastmilk <strong>in</strong> low-<strong>in</strong>come sett<strong>in</strong>gs, it is impossible to know whether this new<br />

policy has led to any <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> HIV-free survival of <strong>in</strong>fants born to HIV-<br />

Big bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />

317

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