This archive report was first published on 15 June 2020.
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, breastfeeding mothers have been left wondering if they can safely pass the virus to their babies through breast milk.
Fortunately, the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that the risk of transmission is low, and breastfeeding is still the best option for newborns.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of breastfeeding, saying: “We know that children are at relatively low risk of Covid-19, but are at high risk of numerous other diseases and conditions that breastfeeding prevents.”
Senior advisor Anshu Banerjee at the WHO's Department of Reproductive Health and Research added that only “fragments” of the virus had been detected in breast milk, not live virus.
“So far we have not been able to detect live virus in breast milk, so the risk of transmission from mother to child has not been established,” he said.
Several studies have been conducted on breastfeeding and Covid-19, and none have found evidence of the live virus in human milk.
One study published on the journal medRxiv found that CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) was detected in milk samples, but not the virus itself.
Experts agree that more research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits of breastfeeding during the pandemic.
However, the WHO advises mothers to continue breastfeeding while following strict guidelines to avoid contracting the disease and passing it on to newborns.
These measures include wearing a mask, washing hands, and disinfecting surfaces that come into contact with the infant.
Mothers who are too sick to breastfeed are advised to pump breast milk and feed their babies from clean bottles.
