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Human milk contains antibodies that protect infants; however, some viruses can be transmitted through breast-feeding. U.S. investigators studied 64 milk samples provided by 18 mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 (samples collected before and after COVID-19 diagnosis), alongside samples of human milk that were experimentally infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Although 17 mothers had symptomatic COVID-19, no replication-competent virus was detectable in any of their milk samples. Furthermore, pasteurization techniques used by human milk banks eliminated all viral RNA from experimentally infected milk.
Chambers C et al. Evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk from 18 infected women. JAMA 2020 Aug 19; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.15580)
Comment
These rigorous experiments offer welcome reassurance that COVID-19 should not disrupt breast-feeding or alter the use of milk banks. As breast-feeding reduces maternal risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease — in addition to benefitting infant health — support for this practice must remain a public health priority, even during the global pandemic.