Possible HIV Exposure Through Donated Breastmilk — Santa Clara County, California, October–December 2025
- Presentation Day/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 1:05 PM
- Presenter: Alessandra Lochen, PhD, MS, Santa Clara County Public Health Department
The Issue
- In October 2025, California's Santa Clara Public Health Department (SCCPHD) was notified of a mother who tested positive for HIV at her prenatal screening. She was breastfeeding her 20-month-old daughter and donated breastmilk online.
What We Did
- A response was initiated to ensure the mother and her child were linked to care, test contacts exposed to her breast milk, identify additional contacts, and provide education to those exposed.
What We Found
- One exposed contact was identified through the mother, and four others were identified from posted responses online. Among these, four tested negative and one never used the milk and had it frozen. This milk was tested and HIV was present at detectable levels. Six additional contacts were considered lower risk from having 'liked' posts, but only one was reached by phone or online message. Efforts to post informational messaging on the online groups were blocked by group administrators.
What This Means
- Despite barriers to contacting those exposed, SCCPHD was able to identify and test those with highest exposure to infected breastmilk. Identifying online social media groups as a means for obtaining breastmilk drove messaging to providers and to the public about the risks involved in sharing breastmilk through unsafe means.
