Beijing: Amid the novel coronavirus scare around the globe, some good news has emerged about the COVID-19. Chinese researchers have revealed that viral infection is not transmittable from pregnant mothers to newborns at birth.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics, is the second out of China within the last month to confirm that mothers infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy did not infect their babies.
All four mothers in the current study, which focused on the health of the newborns, gave birth at Wuhan’s Union Hospital in China while infected. Wuhan in Hubei Province is believed to be the epicentre of the current outbreak.
According to the researcher at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, none of the infants developed any serious symptoms associated with COVID-19 such as fever or cough, though all were initially isolated in neonatal intensive care units and fed formula.
Three of the four tested negatives for the respiratory infection following a throat swab, while the fourth child’s mother declined permission for the test, the researchers said.
One newborn did experience a minor breathing issue for three days that was treated by non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Two babies, including the one with a respiratory problem, did have body rashes that eventually disappeared on their own.
“It’s impossible to conclude whether there’s a connection between these other medical issues and COVID-19. “We are not sure the rash was due to the mother’s COVID-19 infection,” said study co-author Dr Yalan Liu from Huazhong University of Science
