Breast milk provided for those unable to naturally breastfeed in South Africa
By Gabrielle Wade

9 December 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Compared to bottle-fed infants, those who are breastfed are healthier, with lower death rates, fewer hospital admissions, and fewer medical problems overall. Some mothers, however, are unable to breastfeed; those who have been infected with HIV may pass the virus on through breast milk, and those with untreated tuberculosis, serious illness, and/or severe anemia or malnourishment should avoid breastfeeding. To help these women give their children the benefits of breast milk without harming themselves or their infants, the International Breast Milk Project (IBMP) this week sent 357 gallons of donor breast milk from mothers in the United States to children in South Africa.

IBMP Founder and Executive Director Jill Youse told MediaGlobal that, since 2007, this is the seventh shipment of milk IBMP has sent to mothers in need, with “162,665 ounces (1270 gallons) going to infants affected by HIV/AIDS, malnourishment, poverty and disease in South Africa,” and “half a million ounces (3,906 gallons) of donor milk could feed over 3,500 premature infants or 850 full-term babies for one month.” The 357 gallons sent in the most recent shipment should be enough to feed 75 infants for one month.

The provision of breast milk to children who otherwise would not be breastfed because, according to American Academy of Pediatrics Spokeswoman Ruth Lawrence, “We’ve known for years that the death rates in Third World countries are lower among breastfed babies.” Additionally, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund advise that, if the biological mother is unable to breastfeed, the first alternative should be human breast milk from elsewhere. Despite this advice, IBMP is the only organization in the world to send large-scale provisions of donor breast milk to infants unable to naturally breastfeed in Africa.

IBMP is able to get large donations by using an innovative collection system that makes it possible for a mother anywhere in the United States to provide milk; “Over 1,100 moms from New York to Hawaii have donated their milk. Applications are completed online, blood work is done in the donor’s home, and coolers are shipped directly to doorsteps, making the process seamless and easy for a mom with a new baby at home,” said Youse.

To make the process as efficient as possible, IBMP works with Prolacta Bioscience, a life science company in Monrovia, California, which screens the donors, processes the milk and then packages it to make sure it is safe for infants. The screening process includes a medical questionnaire donors must fill out, medical clearance from their doctors, a blood test, a DNA test (to ensure the milk received is in fact from the donor), and finally a drug and bacteria test of the blood.

IBMP’s partnership with Prolacta is also important financially, as Prolacta covers most of the cost involved in collecting milk. Once the milk is collected, Quick International Courier transports the milk to South Africa, where it is split into three lots and given to partner organizations in Durban, Uitenhage and Cape Town.

Once the milk reaches South Africa, it is available to mothers free of charge. To decide who receives the milk, IBMP's "Board of Directors and medical advisors carefully select each location that we send milk in South Africa by doing several rounds of interviews and site visits," and when the milk is delivered, "each organization is responsible for milk distribution locally. Physicians often make the decision who will receive the donor milk and for how long," said Youse.

The most recent donation was provided in support of World AIDS Day, which was Monday, December 1, 2008.