UAE doctors reiterate the need to breastfeed babies even amid Covid-19

UAE doctors reiterate the need to breastfeed babies even amid Covid-19

Currently, no solid evidence can prove that the virus can be transmitted through breast milk.





Mothers giving birth amid the Covid-19 pandemic may feel unprepared to nurse their newborns, but doctors in the UAE have stressed that breastfeeding babies within the first hour of birth is important in keeping them healthy.

As the UAE marked World Breastfeeding Week, held every year from August 1 to 7, specialists have explained that the benefits of breastfeeding "substantially outweigh" the risks of Covid-19 infection for the baby.

Dr Rosalyn Karlsson, obstetrics and gynaecology specialist at Medcare Medical Centre, said: "The recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to encourage the initiation or continuation of breastfeeding among mothers with suspected or confirmed Covid-19. The benefits of breastfeeding substantially outweigh the potential risks of transmission."

Currently, no solid evidence can prove that the virus can be transmitted through breast milk, the medics added.

Dr Ann Mini Mathew, specialist gynaecologist at Aster Hospital, Mankhool, said: "With the data available so far, there is no contra-indication for breastfeeding by Covid-19-positive mothers. The Covid-19 virus is not transmitted through breast milk.

"But there still remains a possibility that the mother may infect the baby only if proper Covid-19 safety protocols