Amid the fast-spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has currently infected over 5 lakh people worldwide, researchers have found that three newborns with coronavirus may have got the disease from their mother during pregnancy or childbirth in China.
According to the study, published in the journal JAMA, with the sharp increase in the number of infections, the number of pregnant women and children with COVID-19 is also on the rise. "However, only 19 infants born to affected mothers have been investigated, and to our knowledge, no information on early-onset infection in newborns has been published in previous studies," said study researchers from Wuhan Children's Hospital in China.
For the findings, the research team examined the medical records of 33 newborns born to women with COVID-19 and found that three of them tested positive for the virus.
The study revealed that the most common symptom is shortness of breath. According to the researchers, all three infants were delivered by caesarean section and there were no deaths.
The researchers said that because strict infection and prevention controls were implemented during delivery, they could rule out that the babies were infected via vertical maternal-foetal transmission. This can include transmission before birth, the weeks immediately prior to or after birth, the study said.
"It is crucial to screen pregnant women and implement strict infection control measures, quarantine of infected mothers, and close monitoring of neonates at risk of COVID-19," the researchers concluded.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Covid Still Kills 1,700 A Week Around World: WHO Universal Coronavirus Vaccine? New Jab Targets Even Unknown Threats 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Cops Post Rioters' Pics After Vandalism During Kolkata Rape-Murder Protest 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court Japan Lifts Megaquake Warning, Says Citizens Can Return To Normal Life 9 Arrested For Violence At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped-Murdered Independence Day: Viral Video Shows Indians, Pakistanis Singing 'Jai Ho' Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.