A new study confirms WHO recommendations advising covid-positive women to continue breastfeeding
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousDuring these long years of pandemic, many mothers have asked themselves a crucial question: is it possible to breastfeed even if positive for Covid? The World Health Organization has already expressed its opinion on the matter, now confirmed by a new study.
The WHO recommends mothers to breastfeed their baby even if positive for coronavirus and now new research has wanted to investigate precisely this aspect to understand if and what the risks for newborns can actually be.
As the number of cases due to the Omicron variant increases, so does the concern of many breastfeeding mothers: Is it possible to transmit the virus to babies through milk in the event of an infection?
A new study conducted in the United States and published in Pediatric Research confirms once again that there is no evidence that mothers who contract the infection pass the virus through breastfeeding.
The team, led by Paul Krogstad of the University of California, looked into breast milk samples from 110 women who were breastfeeding and who had donated them to the university project "Mommy's Milk Human Milk Biorepository" between March and September 2020. Of these women, 65 had tested positive for a molecular test, 9 had symptoms despite negative tests and 36 were symptomatic but had not performed any tests.
Analyzing the samples, the doctors found genetic material from Sars-CoV-2 in the breast milk of seven women (6%) who tested positive or indicated that they were symptomatic. However, they could not find any infectious genetic material related to Sars-CoV-2, the so-called subgenomic RNA (SgRNA). This snRNA is an indicator that the virus is actively replicating.
Likewise, the researchers found no clinical signs of infection in any of the nursing infants from the virus-positive moms.
Additionally, a second sample of the women's breast milk, taken between 1 and 97 days later, also no longer contained Sars-CoV-2 RNA.
Based on the data obtained, doctors concluded that women with Covid-19 who breastfeed their baby are unlikely to be at risk of transmitting the virus through breast milk.
So commented Professor Krogstad:
Breast milk is a valuable source of nutrition for babies. In our study, we found no evidence that breast milk from coronavirus-infected mothers contained infectious genetic material, nor was there any clinical evidence that infants were infected, suggesting that breastfeeding is unlikely to pose a risk.
Although the study is very small (it is still the largest on this topic), it actually confirms the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Read also: Breast milk does not transmit COVID-19: no live coronavirus detected, only antibodies
However, infected mothers should take it some precautions during breastfeeding in case of positivity:
- Wear a face mask
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after contact with the baby
- Clean and disinfect potentially contaminated surfaces with which children come into contact
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Fonte: Pediatric Research
Read also:
- Breastfeeding could really help kill the coronavirus. I study
- Coronavirus in pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Everything you need to know
