HYDERABAD: Can a pregnant woman give Covid-19 to her unborn child? This question is bothering many people, especially young mothers in Hyderabad.
A new study shows that the foetus is usually not infected because the placenta cells block the virus out. However, the opposite is possible in rare cases, the study says.
Researchers in Italy studied 31 Covid-infected women, who delivered babies in March-April, and found traces of the virus in several samples of the umbilical cord blood and the placenta.
In one case, the virus was also found in breast milk. But this does not mean that there is viable virus in these places. Also, “it is too early to make guidelines” or change care, the study’s leader, Dr Claudio Fenizia, an immunology specialist at the University of Milan, said in a press release.
Speaking to Express, city gynaecologist Dr Sravanthi Gadhiraju said, “In the last one month, I have had more than 18 Covid-positive pregnant women as patients. Of all the deliveries, only one baby tested positive for Covid-19. But there is not enough proof as of now to ascertain if the transmission happened by the mother. It could have also happened through an external source”.
She further said they have not seen a rapid increase in Covid-19 among pregnant women. However, they are advising them to maintain social distance.
“Pregnancy is considered to be a lowimmunity stage, so it is important to wear a mask, wash hands,” she said.
Meanwhile, a research led by the National Institutes of Health gave a possible reason for foetuses not getting infected usually: cells in the placenta rarely make the two tools that the Coronavirus typically uses to gain entry. In contrast, they found plenty of what Zika and several other types of viruses use.