Mistakes from the HIV pandemic should inform the COVID-19 response for maternal and newborn care.
Int Breastfeed J
; 15(1): 67, 2020 07 25.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-670472
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In an effort to prevent infants being infected with SARS-CoV-2, some governments, professional organisations, and health facilities are instituting policies that isolate newborns from their mothers and otherwise prevent or impede breastfeeding. WEIGHING OF RISKS IS NECESSARY IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT Such policies are risky as was shown in the early response to the HIV pandemic where efforts to prevent mother to child transmission by replacing breastfeeding with infant formula feeding ultimately resulted in more infant deaths. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of maternal SARS-CoV-2 transmission needs to be weighed against the protection skin-to-skin contact, maternal proximity, and breastfeeding affords infants.CONCLUSION:
Policy makers and practitioners need to learn from the mistakes of the HIV pandemic and not undermine breastfeeding in the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that in order to maximise infant health and wellbeing, COVID-19 policies should support skin-to-skin contact, maternal proximity, and breastfeeding.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
HIV Infections
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
/
Pandemics
/
Health Policy
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Int Breastfeed J
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S13006-020-00306-8
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