Most new coronavirus infections in infants are also transmitted vertically due to environmental exposure

BEIJING, Oct. 16 (Xinhua Sun Zifa) Springer Nature's international academic journal Nature-Newsletter recently published a medical research paper, said that based on the analysis of 176 reported cases of infants, researchers found that most (70%) of newborns infected with neo-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is caused by environmental exposure, and another 30% of reported cases may be vertical infection from the mother.
The paper's co-author, Daniele De Luca of the University Hospital of Sacre in Paris, France, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of published cases of neo-coronavirus infections in newborns (within 30 days of birth), defined as at least one nasopharyngeal swab test positive and/or detection of specific antibodies in the blood. They analysed 176 cases as at 30 August 2020 and found that 70 per cent of cases were caused by environmental exposure, 30 per cent were likely to be the result of vertical transmission (the virus was transmitted from mother to baby), about 9 per cent of 176 cases were confirmed to be the result of vertical transmission, and that infection could occur before or during childbirth.In the
authors' analysis, 55 percent of infants (97 cases) later developed neo-coronary pneumonia, and their clinical symptoms appeared to be similar to those reported in older patients, including respiratory symptoms (52 percent of cases), fever (44 percent), gastrointestinal symptoms (36 percent) and nervous system (18 percent).
addition, when the authors looked at infections that occurred at least 72 hours after birth, they found that the hospital cot, a baby in the same room as the mother, appeared to have a higher rate of neo-coronavirus infection. In their view, appropriate hygiene measures and protective equipment should be provided to reduce the risk of transmission due to environmental exposure if the mother and child are in the same room.
authors also note that breastfeeding is not associated with new coronavirus infections, which they believe are rare and require further research. (Complete)