Nipple shield that prevents HIV transmission

[melpomene]

A simple nipple shield that prevents HIV transmission from a breast-feeding mother to her child has been devised by a Cambridge University engineer.

article here

[charchargabor]

That is fascinating. Would be concerned about the chemicals in the nipple shields though, even if they were in non-toxic concentrations.

[MadamAnt]

That is great! Very heart-warming to hear of scientists developing pro-BF devices.

[cupsoftea]

How to clean it when no clean water & facility to do so?

[MadamAnt]

I'm guessing that would be no more of a problem than the alternative (bottle-feeding).

[hoppybird]

That's a great innovation, and it certainly shows that bf is viewed as important. I also liked this paragraph:

"We were concerned that using our nipple shield could be stigmatizing, since it would identify a mother as HIV infected," said Mr Gerrard.

"We're considering marketing it as a way to deliver medicines or micronutrient supplements to aid breast feeding. For example, they can also be used for iron or iodine deficiency."