COVID-19 Management in Newborn Babies in the Light of Recent Data: Breastfeeding, Rooming-in and Clinical Symptoms

Özet

COVID-19 infection proceeds to spread rapidly, it has affected approximately 22 million people and resulted in 770.000 deathsworldwide so far (18 August 2020). The effect of COVID-19 infection on newborn babies still remains unclear. There is limited dataregarding the effect of the virus in fetal life and among neonates after birth. Due to insufficient data, an ideal management methodor treatment and follow-up guideline for disease in newborn babies cannot be established. In the recent three studies with thehighest number of cases, it is reported that mothers who had COVID-19 infection in the last trimester, can breastfeed their babiesif they comply with the appropriate hygiene and transmission prevention rules. It is also reported that pregnant women who gotinfected during pregnancy, have higher rates of maternal mortality, preterm birth frequency and cesarean delivery. Moreover it isasserted that vertical transmisson of the virus is possible and the babies who have community-acquired COVID-19 infection afterbirth often have symptoms of fever, hypoxemia, cough, tachypnea, less frequently feeding difficulty, retraction, ral, nasal congestionand exanthema. Topics as; its transmission via vaginal secretions during vaginal delivery, presence of the virus in breast milkand whether it has a teratogenic effect in intrauterine period, have not been fully explained. In this study, it is aimed to review thestudies on newborn babies with COVID-19 infection and to compile the epidemic data, clinical findings, diagnosis and currentinformation recommended for treatment. Although there is a limited number of published data on babies of mothers who hadCOVID-19 infection in the last period of pregnancy and babies who had infection in the neonatal period, the effects of the virus onthe fetus in the early period of pregnancy and the long-term problems of newborn babies remain unknown.