The coronavirus pandemic seems to be getting dangerous day by day. It started as a respiratory problem spread by water droplets and now it has reached the vertical transmission stage. While we were busy speculating community transmission of novel coronavirus, the first case of vertical transmission is reported in Pune, Maharashtra which is one of the worst affected cities. Get details inside the article.
The BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, Maharashtra has reported the first case of vertical transmission in the country where a newborn has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus whereas the mother has tested negative. The Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Microbiology and Biochemistry at BJ Govt Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital has confirmed the news as per a tweet done by news agency ANI.
Dept of Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Microbiology and Biochemistry at BJ Govt Medical College, attached to Sassoon General Hospital, have reported the first case of vertical transmission of COVID causing severe disease in the newborn: Sassoon General Hospital, Pune (1/2)
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2020
The mother tested negative for COVID by RT-PCR but had evidence of COVID infection by strong antibody response (Antibody test). The baby's nasopharyngeal swab, placenta and umbilical stump tested positive for COVID by RT-PCR: Sassoon Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra (2/2)
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2020
What Is Vertical Transmission?
Vertical transmission is when the baby contracts the virus and infection from the mother in the womb. Considering the undeveloped immune system of the newborn, this can be life-threatening to the child and may cause severe diseases.
As per the officials, the mother was tested negative in the swab test but traces of the virus are found in the placenta, nasopharyngeal swab and umbilical cord of the newborn which indicates this to be a clear case of vertical transmission.
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Dr. Aarti Kinikar, Head of the pediatric department at Sassoon General hospital said, “We had tested the mother for Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 infection through RT-PCR and she had tested negative. The baby, however, started showing symptoms like fever, lethargy and other signs of Covid-19, along with abnormal blood tests suggesting severe inflammation. The baby required intensive care, but recovered completely over a period of three weeks.”
Also Read: How To Protect Children From The Deadly Coronavirus
“The mother had a fever the day before the delivery and also signs of weakness which we presumed to be due to pregnancy. Although she tested negative for the virus, she did transmit the infection in the child. However, after four weeks when we did an antibody test, there was evidence of Covid-19 infection by a strong antibody response. It is possible that she recovered on her own. This was a very challenging case for us.” she added.
There have been cases of vertical transmission of coronavirus from other countries but this is the first case reported in India. The staff at the Sassoon hospital is taking the utmost care of the mother and child. We wish them a speedy recovery and good health.
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