[afro-nets] MTCT and breastfeeding - call for revision of WHO guidelines

["Claudio Schuftan" <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

MTCT and breastfeeding - call for revision of WHO guidelines
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>From jamie@csloxinfo.com

Does WHO make evidence-informed recommendations?

The recent health-vn posting on vertical transmission of HIV asked that we take note of a paper recommending: "The association between mixed breastfeeding and increased HIV transmission risk, together with evidence that exclusive breastfeeding can be successfully supported in HIV-infected women, warrant revision of the present UNICEF, WHO, and UNAIDS infant feeding guidelines." 

Does WHO make evidence-informed recommendations? A peer reviewed article published in the Lancet yesterday addresses the issue of the use of scientific evidence by the World Health Organization. The authors of 'Use of evidence in WHO recommendations' are highly critical of the methods used by WHO in developing normative guidance and note that scientific evidence is often not used when recommendations are made. Department directors in WHO headquarters in Geneva confirmed that this was so. The article authors put it very clearly: "Systematic reviews and concise summaries of findings are rarely used for developing recommendations." 

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607606758/fulltext

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Claudio Schuftan
mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn