Reasons why the risk is usually low:
(1) Most women have prenatal testing for infectious diseases.
(2) A woman who is HIV-positive is instructed not to breast feed her infant.
(3) Micro-organisms may not tolerate the high lipid content of breast milk.
(4) Many micro-organisms may not tolerate storage conditions (freezing with thawing or refrigeration).
(5) Most exposures are a single event.
Situations in the source mother that may increase the risk:
(1) The source woman did not have prenatal care.
(2) The source woman is HIV-positive and is producing milk.
(3) The woman has mastitis.
(4) The milk was stored or handled improperly.
(5) The milk contains increased blood.
(6) The source woman has viral hepatitis B and the child's mother was not vaccinated against hepatitis B.
(7) The source woman has active herpes simplex virus (HSV) lesions.
(8) The source woman has human T-lymphoma virus (HTLV).
(9) The source woman has secondary syphilis with lesions on the breast and the milk was not frozen.
Situations in the infant that may increase the risk:
(1) The infant is immunosuppressed.
(2) The infant is premature and critically ill.
(3) The infant gets multiple feedings from the other woman.
Even though the risk of infection is low, infection can occur so steps must be taken to evaluate both the infant and the source woman.
