Washington-based National Institutes of Health [NIH] and John Hopkins University [JHU], Baltimore, US, are actively involved in a clinical trial research project, which if found successful will ensure that the uninfected baby could safely breast feed on its HIV infected mother. The research is being done at the B.J. Medical College at the Sassoon General Hospital, Pune under the trusteeship of the Maharashtra government. NIH is funding the project and JHU is responsible for conducting study and selecting B.J. Medical College as fit for the project. So far, NIH has funded about Rs. 4 crore for the project.

As per the course of action of the project, the uninfected babies from infected mothers will be registered with Nevirapine syrup along with their mothers and will be allowed to be breast fed from their mothers. Nevirapine will be administered for six weeks to the baby. The babies will be earmarked and studied for few years in order to ascertain whether they are infected with HIV virus. If the babies are found not to be infected in the process will thereby ensure safe breast-feeding for a baby with Nevirapine registration.

"So far only infected mothers are administered with Nevirapine, which does not always ensure that the virus would not be passed on to the baby. This leaves the baby dependent on bottled milk, very unhealthy to him," said Dr. Mrudula Phadke, well known Mumbai-based pediatrician and Principal Investigator of the project.

The project acquires greater significance after the recent ruling of the Unicef, which says that babies not breast fed are more likely to die of diarrhoea and dehydration than AIDS from their mothers.

"About 80 mothers have enrolled for the project so far. The project is unique because it is for the first time the babies are administered with Nevirapine," said Dr. Phadke. Sassoon Hospital undertakes about 7,000 delivery cases every year.

According to Dr. Phadke, 1 per cent of all pregnant mothers in the country are infected with HIV. Moreover, one out of every three mothers has the possibility of passing on the virus to the new born.

Eminent doctors both from the US and India are involved with the project. Dr. R.B. Bollinger is the principal investigator of the project from John Hopkins University. Doctors from the Indian end are Dr. K. Bharucha, Dr. P.M. Bulakh, Dr. Gauri Shastri, and Dr. A. Shrotri.