Breastfeeding is NOT advisable if one or more of the following conditions is true:
- An infant diagnosed with galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disorder
- The infant whose mother:
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- Has been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Is taking antiretroviral medications
- Has untreated, active tuberculosis
- Is infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I or type II
- Is using or is dependent upon an illicit drug
- Is taking prescribed cancer chemotherapy agents, such as antimetabolites that interfere with DNA replication and cell division
- Is undergoing radiation therapies; however, such nuclear medicine therapies require only a temporary interruption in breastfeeding
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For additional information, visit American Academy of Pediatrics’ Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk or read: American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs. (2001) The transfer of drugs and other chemicals into human milk. Pediatrics 108:776-789. Available online at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/3/776.full