Posted on 02/06/2008 10:06:51 PM PST by Pharmboy
The AIDS virus can be passed from an infected mother to her baby if she pre-chews the child's food as sometimes occurs in developing countries, U.S. government scientists said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had identified three cases -- two in Miami and one in Memphis, Tennessee -- in which a child was infected in this way between 1993 and 2004. The mother was involved in two of the cases and a relative who acted as a caregiver was involved in the third.
In developing countries, some mothers pre-chew food for babies. These women may lack access to packaged baby food or may not have a way to blend baby food. This practice is thought to be very rare in the United States or other wealthy nations.
The researchers, who presented their findings at a scientific meeting in Boston, said the infected women's saliva itself did not transmit the virus to the child, but rather it appears blood present in the saliva caused the infection.
The researchers said HIV transmission appears to have occurred when the children ingested pre-chewed food that contained blood from the bleeding gums of HIV-infected women, and this entered the children's bloodstreams through a cut, sore or inflammation of the mouth or digestive tract.
They said they ruled out other possible means of infection such as breast-feeding or blood transfusion.
"Pre-mastication is a newly recognized route for HIV transmission that warrants further investigation in order to continue reducing cases of HIV transmission in the U.S.," the CDC said in a summary of the findings by epidemiologist Dr. Ken Dominguez and other researchers.
"The findings could have more significant implications for developing countries," the CDC added.
In one case, a girl, age 9 months, was diagnosed with HIV in 2004. The HIV-positive mother reported giving pre-chewed food to the child, who is still alive, receiving HIV drugs.
In a second case, a 3-year-old boy was diagnosed with HIV in 1995. The infant's mother had AIDS and had given pre-chewed food to the child, who died of AIDS in 1996.
In a third case, a boy, age 15 months, was diagnosed with HIV in 1993. The boy's mother is HIV-negative but his HIV-positive great-aunt served as a caregiver and had given him pre-chewed food. The researchers said the mother did not know the aunt was HIV-positive until after she died of AIDS. The boy is still alive, getting HIV drugs.
"The researchers advise that health care providers and HIV-infected child caregivers should be aware of the potential health risks and should advise those caregivers against the practice of pre-chewing food for their infants," the CDC said.
(Editing by David Alexander and Cynthia Osterman)
Ping...
Pre-chewed? .... ewwww
If they are just now finding this out, my question is: Why then can it not be transmitted through mosquito bites?
But gays dont have kids.
Fixed
Thanks for the ping.
Cooking the food, then mashing it into a paste and adding a tiny bit of water would do the same exact thing.
Thanks Pharmboy.
Miami and Memphis are developing countries? Who knew?
The only pre-chewing I have seen recently was on Dr. Phil and that was a woman who pre-chewed her dog’s biscuits. Sick! Even Dr. Phil said he couldn’t do anything for her.
but that would require common sense...
Bada Ping!
Are these people Ferengi?
I doubt the transmission is from the mother’s saliva.
More likely in poor countries the dental hygiene is bad so when the mother chews the food she ends up cutting her gums and causing bleeding.
She would then transfers the blood tainted food to her child.
In a third case, a boy, age 15 months, was diagnosed with HIV in 1993. The boy's mother is HIV-negative but his HIV-positive great-aunt served as a caregiver and had given him pre-chewed food. The researchers said the mother did not know the aunt was HIV-positive until after she died of AIDS. The boy is still alive, getting HIV drugs. "
NOTE THE YEAR!
CDC Home > HIV/AIDS > Fact Sheets
HIV and Its Transmission (July 1999)
"Some people fear that HIV might be transmitted in other ways; however, no scientific evidence to support any of these fears has been found."
"All reported cases suggesting new or potentially unknown routes of transmission are thoroughly investigated by state and local health departments with the assistance, guidance, and laboratory support from CDC. No additional routes of transmission have been recorded, despite a national sentinel system designed to detect just such an occurrence."
Junk Science Ping!
Just for this thread, can you be Pre-Chewbacca?
Yeah, if you asked about kissing you were a bigot and an idiot.
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