The transmission of HIV via breastmilk has led to various
recommendations for HIV-infected mothers. In this study, the feeding
practices of HIV-infected mothers in the first six months of their
infants' lives were evaluated. In total, 103 consecutive mothers of
children, aged 6-24 months, were evaluated for their feeding practices
in the first six months of their infants' lives. The mothers were
recruited in two cohorts based on their entry (PMTCT cohort) or
non-entry (non-PMTCT cohort) to an HIV MTCT-prevention programme.
Information obtained included maternal age, socioeconomic class, and
the educational level attained. All the babies in the non-PMTCT cohort
were breastfed compared to none in the PMTCT cohort. Infant formula was
inadequately prepared for 77.42% of babies in the non-PMTCT cohort
compared to 18.64% in the PMTCT cohort. The mixed-feeding rate was high
(70.45 %) in the non-PMTCT cohort. Over 70% of babies in both the
cohorts were bottle-fed. Voluntary counselling and testing services in
the healthcare system should be strengthened. All mothers should
receive infant-feeding counselling, with exclusive breastfeeding being
encouraged in those with unknown HIV status