Health warning as mothers share breast milk via online forums

THOUSANDS of new mothers are exchanging potentially infected breast milk via social media, despite official warnings.

An investigation revealed that Facebook groups with up to 18,000 members are facilitating the transfer of donated milk without the recommended safety checks.

Breast milk is the best source of nourishment for young babies, however some women cannot produce enough and many more are reluctant to breastfeed for long after giving birth.

Studies have placed Britain among the worst countries in the world for breastfeeding rates: just 34 per cent of children are breastfed for the six months recommended by the NHS.

There are 16 official milk banks across the UK and Ireland, where donated milk is stored subject to strict disease controls. However this is mainly sent to ill and pre-term babies.

A survey showed online forums are connecting mothers producing too much breast milk with those in need of extra. One group, Human Milk 4 Human Babies UK, shared a message to a West London National Children’s Trust group offering “about 30 bottles worth expressed breast milk” which was being kept in a freezer. Mothers also appeared to be identifying each other online using the hashtags #freezerstash and #donormilk.

But the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency have both warned against the unregulated practice due to safety concerns. Donated breast milk can potentially transfer blood-borne viruses such as HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, as well as serious bacterial infections such as E.coli.

However, mothers involved in milk sharing via social media have said there was an “unwritten trust” that donors would share any relevant health information. Human Milk 4 Human Babies UK encourages people to discuss medications but, unlike rules for official milk banks, does not recommend donor health checks as a matter of course.

Dr Gemma Holder, a consultant neonatologist at Birmingham Women’s hospital, told the BBC: “Fresh donor milk has significant risk of potentially passing on infection, particularly if you don’t know how it was handled.”

The Department of Health last night echoed the concern, saying no donor breast milk should be obtained other than from an NHS bank.

However, the scale of online activity has led for calls for a better official distribution system. Alison Thewliss, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for infant feeding said: “I would like to see the Government invest in services to allow those wishing to donate breast milk to be able to do so locally in a safe and regulated way.”