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Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) have issued strong guidance on the importance of breastfeeding for protection against the H1N1 swine flu. The CDC states, “Infants who are not breastfeeding are particularly vulnerable to infection and hospitalization for severe respiratory illness.”
Photo courtesy of Furya
Thus, the CDC urges new mothers to initiate breastfeeding early and to feed frequently. Mothers already breastfeeding should continue to do so, even if they become ill. Formula feeding should be avoided or minimized and breastfeeding maximized. In the Health News Digest, USBC Chair Joan Younger Meek, MD, MS, RD, FAAP, FABM, IBCLC, recommends breastfeedng in emergency situations such as a swine flu outbreak:
Research clearly shows that breastfeeding provides a safe, reliable food source, full of disease-fighting cells and antibodies that help protect infants from germs and illnesses. Mothers exposed to influenza produce specific protection for their infants and transmit this through their breast milk. Infant formula does not provide these specific infection fighting properties. Unnecessary formula supplementation should be eliminated so the infant can receive as much benefit as possible from maternal protective antibodies and other immune protective factors.
Key points from the CDC swine flu guidance include:
1. If a mother is ill with swine flu, she should continue breastfeeding and feed the baby more often. If she is too ill to feed at the breast but can pump, expressed breast milk should be fed to the baby. The risk of transmission of the H1N1 virus through breast milk is unknown, but reports of transmission of the regular, seasonal flu through breast milk are rare.
2. If the baby becomes too ill to feed at the breast, he should receive the mother’s expressed breast milk or donated human milk from a non-profit milk bank.
3. Antiviral medication treatment and prophylaxis are compatible with breastfeeding.
4. All usual precautions against virus transmission should be taken, including hand washing and covering coughs and sneezes.
Thank you for the replies. My baby is now showing signs of the flu. She has fever and congestion as well as very irritable. She is still nursing and I will keep a close watch on her. My 5 yr old is getting better. The crazy thing about this flu is you get better and then it hits you again.His fever spikes in the evening. He was breastfed until 13 months old and has been a very healthy child. I am sure all this will take time to recover from.
I have a 4 month old baby girl. I was diagnosed with swine flu 2 days after symptoms began. My 2 year old and husband had just had a week round of it. We didn’t know what it was until I tested positive. Now my 5 year old is positive and very sick with me. My baby is breastfed and has been exposed to all of this as well as my coughs and sneezes(I thought it was sinus)I have been scared of her getting sick but all is well. I pray she continues to resist through the antibodies received.My family advises she be taken out of the house, I am keeping her with me. I hope I am making the right decision.
I was surfing the web looking for info on breastfeeding while having a cold (which I have at the moment) or having the swine flu. I live in Argentina, and as of today, we have over 200 thousand swine flu infections, and 200+ deaths related to the swine flu (reported deathes, I am sure there must be many more). I have a 5 month old baby boy and I am very scared, but thanks to your article, I am more at ease now. He’s breastfed and hopefully he’ll have extra protection against this nasty virus! Thank you!
I was contemplating about breastfeeding my 5mths old baby when I started to feel unwell. Although I was advised by my local breastfeeding association that I should do so because of the antibodies I produce in my milk, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Now that I have read your article and the feedbacks, I am a lot more confident that continuing breastfeeding is the right thing to do. Thank you.
Hiya, have been feeling very ill today, runny nose sore throat and really really exhasted just wanted to say a quick thank you for your info.. I needed to know that continuing to breastfeed what the right thing to do. The last thing I want is for my baby to get poorly
It makes you feeel kind of sorry for the bottle fed babies out there, doesn’t it? Their moms will have to be particularly vigilant to keep them safe. I hope this will encourage more new moms to breastfeed/
Thanks for posting that information. I am breastfeeding my 23 month old son and was thinking of begining to wean him but now with the swine flu scare I think we might continue a little longer at least until the winter is over (I live in Australia and it is end of Autumn here now)
LTRFTC – I am a teacher that lives on the US-MEX border and I got very sick when the swine flu first appeared in the news. I breastfed all through the nasty (non-swine flu) virus and my baby did not get sick at all. He actually went through his 3 month growth spurt at the same time! My MIL never breastfed and tried to discourage me from breastfeeding while ill, but I explained (in Spanish, ha!) how good it was to keep breastfeeding. The only thing I did differently is that my baby slept in the crib and not with me, since I was so tired and afraid of possibly hurting him in the bed. Thanks for sharing this article.