Source : Lesinfos.ma
15/07/2020 15:00
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French doctors reported yesterday, Tuesday July 14, via a study published in the journal Nature Communications, a case of intrauterine transmission of Covid-19. It is the first known case in the world.
According to the study, the newborn is a boy born at the Clamart University Hospital in France last March, he was diagnosed with the new coronavirus after having presented neurological symptoms associated with the disease.
“We have shown that transmission from mother to fetus is possible via the placenta in the last weeks of pregnancy”, pointed out Dr. Daniele De Luca, from Antoine-Béclère de Clamart hospital, main author of the study, quoted by France Info.
Previous studies have suggested the possibility of prenatal mother-to-child transmission, but this new study provides evidence, he continued, “It is necessary to analyze the maternal blood, the amniotic fluid, the blood of the newborn, the placenta, etc … Collecting all these samples during an epidemic with emergencies in all directions was not simple, this is why c ‘was suspected, but not demonstrated,’ he explained.
The study was carried out on a woman in her twenties hospitalized last March. The delivery was done by caesarean section and all samples were taken from the potential reservoirs of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the highest load of which was found in the placenta.
According to Dr. Daniele De Luca, the virus passed from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the baby, where it developed, and twenty-four hours after birth, the newborn baby presented with severe symptoms, including , stiffness of the limbs and damage to the cerebral nervous system. Symptoms which disappeared later without the doctors being able to find a suitable treatment, given the absence of known drugs for the treatment of babies infected with Covid-19.
“The bad news is that it can happen. The good news is that it is rare, very rare even when reported to the population, “ commented the French doctor, author of the study in question.
Fatima-Zahra Coundi
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