COVID-19 pandemic, due to the new coronavirus, has infected millions of people around the world ever since its outbreak, last November. Scientists have discovered that the virus spreads through different ways, such as by coughing or sneezing.
That’s how the The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spreads or by the contact with a surface that is contaminated. That’s how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads, through touch. However, the experts have now discovered a new way of spreading the infection – pregnant women can transmit the disease to their babies.
The Chinese researchers have discovered that the virus can be passed on from the pregnant mother to the child. Their study is based on the results after testing 33 pregnant females. The result shows that three of the babies were born infected with the coronavirus. All females are residents of the Wuhan city and Hubei Province, the center of the virus outbreak.
Pregnant Women Can Transmit COVID-19 To Their Babies
“Because strict infection control and prevention procedures were implemented during the delivery, it is likely that the sources of SARS-CoV-2 in the neonates’ upper respiratory tracts or anuses were maternal in origin,” said the study’s author.
All three babies were delivered by C-section because of their moms’ condition. All babies survived and were tested negative for the vicious virus. “It is crucial to screen pregnant women and implement strict infection control,” said Lingkong Zeng et al. The babies can get the virus during the delivery through the placenta.
“Therefore, it is crucial to screen pregnant women and implement strict infection control measures, quarantine of infected mothers, and close monitoring,” explained the study’s authors. More studies have to be done on this subject to be able to gain more knowledge on how the babies are affected.
“With the sharp increase in the number of infections, the number of pregnant women and children with COVID-19 is also on the rise.
“However, only 19 neonates born to affected mothers have been investigated, and to our knowledge, no information on early-onset infection in newborns has been published in previous studies,” said the authors.
