This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, a crucial question has been whether breastfeeding mothers can pass the virus to their babies. The World Health Organization (WHO) has weighed in on the issue, stating that current evidence suggests breastfeeding outweighs any potential risks of transmission of Covid-19.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of breastfeeding in preventing other diseases and conditions that children are at high risk of. He noted 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 stated that only 'fragments' of the virus had been detected in breast milk, not live virus. He added that so far, they have not been able to detect live virus in breast milk, and therefore the risk of transmission from mother to child has not been established.
Several studies have been conducted on breastfeeding and Covid-19, with one study published on the journal medRxiv detecting CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) in milk samples collected over a period of four days. However, the researchers emphasized that this does not necessarily mean the virus is present in live form.
Experts stress that little is known about SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk, and more research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits of breastfeeding during the pandemic. In the meantime, 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 may 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.
