A new set of guidelines by the Indian Council of Medical Research has said that it may be possible for pregnant mothers to pass on the virus to their newborn
In their advisory titled The Guidance for Management of Pregnant Women in COVID-19 Pandemic, released on Monday, 13 April, the ICMR also expanded on protective measures for hospital staff - including the use of PPEs for all healthcare workers present in the delivery room.
Previous studies and research from experts, including this interview with Karen Kotloff of the University of Maryland School of Medicine on 30 March, revealed that much was still unknown about the virus - although, at this time, there was no indication that it could pass on in pregnancy.
But the recent advisory urged all healthcare workers, especially those on the obstetrics staff, to be vigilant and initiate protocols to protect infants from COVID-19.
There are only limited studies on pregnant women with COVID-19 and so determining if mothers can transmit the virus is still under review. Nonetheless, The Indian Express reported that there is some literature to suggest both that transmission of the virus has occurred or an infected woman has given birth to a healthy child.
On 4 April, the first baby to be born to a coronavirus infected woman in Delhi was healthy.
However, Chinese researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that on 26 March a pregnant, infected woman in Wuhan delivered a positive baby girl. Since the newborn tested positive both for the virus and antibodies against it, researchers believed transition happened during pregnancy.
Much is still to be known about the evolving situation, but the ICMR guidelines suggest,
They added that hospitals should consider putting the mother (if she is a confirmed or potential COVID-19 case) in a separate room as the child to avoid complications. “Transmission after birth via contact with infectious respiratory secretions is a concern.”
They also added that there was no data to suggest “an increased risk of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss in relation to COVID-19.”
According to WHO, women with COVID-19 can breastfeed if they wish to but should practice hygiene during the feeding, where a mask where available, wash hands before and after touching the baby and routinely clean and disinfect surfaces they have touched.
The US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds that while transmission while pregnant is unlikely, the baby is at risk post-delivery when the “ newborn is susceptible to person-to-person spread.”
According to the UK’s NHS too, “ the evidence now suggests that transmission is probable, although there has only been a single case reported. The significance to the neonate is not yet known and we will continue to assess and monitor the situation for women and babies.”
So while there is no clarity on if the transmission can occur, ICMR has suggested some precautionary guidelines to follow to protect the mother and new baby.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and PTI)
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