18 newborns in Capital tested positive since March
nNEWDELHI:AT least 18 babies born to mothers suffering from coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in three Delhi hospitals since the first case was detected in March tested positive for the infection within a few hours to five days after birth. However, doctors ruled out that it was a case of transmission in the womb or vertical transmission.
Although, mother to child transmission in newborns could not be established, the doctors said this shows that the babies can get the infection soon after birth from the environment.
Doctors said all but one of the Covid-infected babies was asymptomatic and one of the babies born at RML hospital, who had other conditions, died.
The highest number of deliveries – 86 cesarean sections and 124 normal deliveries – were handled at the 2,000-bed Lok Nayak hospital, the city’s biggest dedicated
Covid-19 treatment facility, according to the medical director of the hospital Dr Suresh Kumar.
“All babies born to Covid-19 positive mothers are tested for the infection soon after their birth and on day five. So far, five babies have tested positive for the infection. Of these five, three were found positive on the day of their birth. Although this is suggestive of the baby getting the infection in-utero before birth, there is no evidence of vertical transmission from anywhere in the world. Globally, 0.5 to 1% of newborns have been found to have the infection,” said Dr Sangeeta Gupta, professor of gynaecology at Lok Nayak hospital.
Doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, however, said they couldn’t rule out vertical transmission in one of the three babies testing positive there.
“The baby tested positive within 16 hours of birth. There had been no contact with the positive mother after delivery and the baby had been taken to the nursery soon after. We could not send samples of the placenta, amniotic fluids, or cord blood for testing. The second way of confirmation was to test the baby for IGM antibodies. However, since the tests are not yet standardised, the baby tested negative,” said Dr Aarti Maria, head of the department of neonatology at RML hospital.
The highest number of positive babies were born at Safdarjung hospital, where over 100 Covid-19 positive mothers have delivered.
“So far, ten babies have tested positive for the infection after birth. However, none of the babies tested positive within first few hours of life, ruling out the possibility of vertical transmission,” said Dr Sheeba Marwah, assistant professor and nodal
Covid-19 officer for gynaecology department in Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung hospital.
Dr Sushma Nangia, head of the department of neonatology at Lady Hardinge Medical College, said “Fortunately, the babies seem to get very mild or no symptoms at all and recover soon.”
An observational study of 120 newborns in New York, recently published in the journal Lancet Chile and Adolescent Health Journal, shows that none of the babies got the infection during childbirth or after two weeks of breastfeeding and skin to skin contact. Breastfeeding is recommended by the WHO as well as most professional bodies of gynaecology and neonatology, according to the doctors.
“Evidence shows that there is minimal risk of contracting Covid-19 during breastfeeding and thus breastfeeding should be promoted irrespective of the Covid-19 status of the mother,” said Dr Maria.