Risk of Breast-Feeding Seen Low in AIDS Cases

GENEVA — Women carrying the AIDS virus should not be put off breast-feeding their babies, for the risk of transmitting the virus in that fashion appears low, the World Health Organization said Friday, adding that the benefits of breast-feeding outweigh the risk of infection to the infant.

Dr. Jonathan Mann, who heads the WHO program on AIDS, said the risk of possible transmission through breast-feeding “is very small.”