Monday, April 13, 2020

Newborns may get Covid-19 transmission from mothers: ICMR issues guidelines


ICMR pointed out that health care practitioners should immediately create an isolation facility for pregnant mothers with Covid-19 and should follow the national protocol.


According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there is a possibility of transmission of coronavirus from a pregnant mother to a newborn baby. However, the proportion of pregnancies affected and the significance to the newborn is yet to be determined, ICMR said on Monday.

The available scientific evidence suggests that transmission of the virus can happen to a baby before the birth, while it is in the mother's womb, or during delivery from an infected pregnant mother. However, the country's top medical research body added that at present, there are no recorded cases of breast milk being tested positive for Covid-19.

Issuing guidance for the management of pregnant women during the Covid-19 pandemic, ICMR said, "There are reports of Covid-19 pneumonia in pregnancy which are milder and have a good recovery. Also, there are case reports of pre-term birth in women with Covid-19, but it is unclear whether the pre-term birth was always iatrogenic, or whether some were spontaneous."


"A registry for all women admitted with confirmed Covid-19 infection in pregnancy should be maintained. Maternal and neonatal records including outcome should be completed in detail and preserved for analysis in the future," according to the ICMR.
"With regard to vertical transmission (transmission from mother to baby antenatally or intrapartum), emerging evidence now suggests that vertical transmission is probable, although the proportion of pregnancies affected and the significance to the neonate has yet to be determined."

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