WHO Director-General Confirmed In A Statement That Breastfeeding Is Safe And Recommended Even During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousA new declaration from the WHO has arrived in recent days regarding a very important issue, that ofbreastfeeding during the pandemic. Basically, what we already knew is confirmed: the coronavirus does not pass into breast milk and breastfeeding is therefore always recommended.
Already months ago we reported the fact that, from the studies available to date but also from the data provided by the hospitals where mothers gave birth at the time of the coronavirus, it does not appear that the latter passes through breast milk.
Coronavirus in pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Everything you need to know
Breastfeeding mothers, therefore, do not pass the virus to their babies and, based on current evidence, the benefits outweigh any potential risk of transmission. To say now is the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press conference stated that he had carefully studied the risks of a possible transmission of Covid-19 through breastfeeding, concluding that the benefits of breast milk, even in this difficult phase in terms of health, are much greater.
Thus we read in the note relating to his statements:
“We know that babies are at relatively low risk for COVID-19, but they are at high risk for numerous other diseases and conditions that breastfeeding prevents. Based on the available evidence, the WHO opinion is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risk of COVID-19 transmission. Mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate and continue breastfeeding and not to be separated from their children, unless the mother is too sick ”.
.@WHO has investigated risks of women transmitting #COVID19 during breastfeeding & developed guidance on how to breastfeed safely.
We also developed guidance on self-care interventions to enable women to access services they need during the pandemic: https://t.co/CdIA3Jx5wq pic.twitter.com/GQBr9SS8KQ
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) June 12, 2020
As Ghebreyesus recalls, the WHO has provided detailed information through a guide that suggests how to breastfeed safely during the pandemic (you can read it here).
However, the basic tips are the ones we already know and would expect: use a mask while breastfeeding (especially if you have respiratory symptoms) and wash your hands thoroughly with soap or disinfectant before and after contact with the baby. For sick mothers who are unable to breastfeed, the advice is instead to express milk so that the baby can still continue to feed on this precious food.
Recently, a study was even launched to evaluate ibbenefits of breast milk as a preventive medicine against coronavirus.
Breast milk from recovered women as a preventive medicine against coronavirus? In Holland the study starts
Source: WHO
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