Babies born to COVID-19 mothers have antibodies, finds a new study

Covid-19 in children: A Singapore study found that babies born to infected mothers have antibodies against the novel coronavirus.

Ever since our lives went off the rails because of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been trying to answer many unanswered questions. One query doing rounds ever since the beginning of the unprecedented disease is how this infection affects pregnant women and their unborn children.

Although they have been asked to practice caution since their immune system gets weaker during pregnancy, there is a lot that remains unknown. They are at a higher risk of respiratory complications if they get infected by the viral disease. But what about children born to mothers with coronavirus?

Newborns At A Lower Risk Of Contracting Covid-19 From Mothers

As per the data by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), pregnant women are believed to be at a higher risk of severe illnesses from COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said shed light on the adverse effects of coronavirus on pregnant women. According to WHO, pregnant women are at a greater risk of respiratory infections. However, there is little evidence explaining the link between infected mothers and new babies.

Amidst the speculation, a Singapore study found that babies born to infected mothers have antibodies against the novel coronavirus.

According to the Singapore Obstetrics and Gynecology Research Network, there is no evidence of virus transmission between the mother and the baby.

Most participants included in the study were mildly infected, while more severe reactions occurred in older, overweight women. All patients were fully recovered, but two women lost their babies. Researchers said that one of the two cases could have been related to virus complications.

The study offers an insight into an area of COVID-19 infection that is still under investigation.

Number Of Antibodies In Babies May Vary

The study published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal found that five women had delivered by the time the study was published, and the babies had antibodies. But the number of antibodies varied and was higher among those whose mothers had been infected nearer to the time of the delivery.

However, the level of protection this may offer is still unknown. More research is required to see the antibodies decline as the babies grow.

Previous Research On COVID-19 And Its Effects On Pregnancy

Another study published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that babies born to mothers infected by SARS-CoV-2 have a low risk of developing severe symptoms.

For the study, researchers analyzed the data of 3,374 mothers. They followed 252 pregnant women who tested positive for the virus from March through August.

It was found that the virus transmitted to the fetus in just three per cent of the cases.

Among the 252 infected pregnant women, 95 per cent were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms at first. Only 6 of these women developed severe or critical COVID-19 pneumonia.

(with inputs from agencies)