KAMPALA – The baby girl born to a mother who tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has tested negative to the deadly virus. The mother, who was delivering her fourth child, underwent caesarean section delivery at Entebbe regional referral hospital last Saturday.
Dr Pontiano Kaleebu, the director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) said that the results for the baby’s sample that was drawn on Sunday were released among the 231 samples of Ugandans who tested negative to the disease.
Entebbe hospital director Dr Moses Muwanga says the hospital is now trying it’s best to ensure the safety of the baby while waiting for the mother to recover. He declined to comment on whether the mother is breastfeeding the baby or if the two are allowed to share a room.
According to a study done by Centres for Disease Control, mother-to-child transmission of coronavirus during pregnancy is unlikely, but after birth a newborn is susceptible to person-to-person spread. Avery small number of babies have tested positive for the virus shortly after birth. However, it is unknown if these babies got the virus before or after birth. Thevirus has not been detected in amniotic fluid, breastmilk, or other maternal samples.
Recent research findings have not found traces of the virus in breast milk but they all advance safety precautionary measures to require the mother to wear an N95 respiratory approved mask and wash hands before breastfeeding to boost the baby’s immunity and also reduce the risk of infection.
