TOKYO: A newborn in Japan is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from the mother in what may be the first case of mother-to-baby coronavirus transmission in the country, the NHK public broadcaster reported on Monday.
According to the Japanese media outlet, researchers from the Japan Pediatric Society studied 1,124 medical facilities across the country that have pediatric departments. Per the survey results, 52 newborns at 31 facilities were born to coronavirus-positive mothers last August, of whom one baby was said to be infected. The child reportedly did not have health problems.
The broadcaster added, citing researchers, that there had been other similar cases reported from abroad on suspected mother-to-baby COVID-19 transmissions.
According to Morioka Ichiro, a professor at the Nihon University School of Medicine, the chances of mothers passing the coronavirus on to their babies is low and infected babies may develop light symptoms.
There have been reports coming from several other countries, including Singapore and Bulgaria, where women gave birth to babies with antibodies after having contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy.