Very low risk to newborns from moms with COVID-19, says study
New York: Moms with COVID-19 who take basic precautions rarely pass the novel coronavirus to their newborns, even if breastfeeding, according to a new study which says more extensive measures like separating the infected mothers from their babies may not be warranted.
The research, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, examined outcomes in the first 101 newborns born to COVID-19-positive mothers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in the US from March 13 to April 24, 2020.
"Our findings should reassure expectant mothers with COVID-19 that basic infection-control measures during and after childbirth -- such as wearing a mask and engaging in breast and hand hygiene when holding or breastfeeding a baby -- protected newborns from infection in this series," said Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, a co-author of the study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the US.
To reduce the risk of transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus to newborns after delivery, the researchers said the hospital staff practised social distancing, wore masks, and placed COVID-positive moms in private rooms.
They said the hospitals also provided the mothers with educational materials about COVID-19 and shortened hospital stays for those without complications from delivery.
Most of the newborns roomed with their mothers, including during the first postpartum checkup, while some were admitted to the intensive care unit for non-COVID-related health reasons, the study noted.
The scientists said they placed the infants who roomed with their moms in protective cribs six feet away from the mothers' beds when resting.
They encouraged direct breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact with babies, provided the moms wore masks and washed hands and breasts with soap and water.
"During the pandemic, we continued to do what we normally do to promote bonding and development in healthy newborns, while taking a few extra precautions to minimise the risk of exposure to the virus," Gyamfi-Bannerman said.
According to the study, only two of the newborns tested positive for the coronavirus, but they had no clinical evidence of illness. However, the researchers were unable to pinpoint how the babies became infected.
When the physicians followed up with about half of the infants, including the two that tested positive for the virus, during the first two weeks of life, they found that all remained healthy.
According to the researchers the interim guidelines released by pediatric and health organisations for pregnant women with the coronavirus, recommends the separation of mothers and newborns during their hospital stay, no direct breastfeeding, and bathing newborns as soon as possible.
However, they said these recommendations were made in the absence of data on rates of mother-to-newborn transmission of the virus. The scientists said these guidelines are based on experience with mother-newborn transmission of other infectious diseases.
"But some of the recommendations conflict with what we know about the developmental benefits of early breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact," said study lead author Dani Dumitriu from the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in the US.
"Our study shows that these measures may not be necessary for healthy newborns with COVID-positive moms," Dumitriu said.
The researchers believe it is particularly important that mothers with COVID-19 have the opportunity to directly breastfeed their newborns.
"Breast milk is known to protect newborns against numerous pathogens, and it may help protect newborns against infection with SARS-CoV-2. Most studies have not found SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk, and breast milk has been found to contain antibodies against the virus," Gyamfi-Bannerman explained.
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Actress sexual assault: Court says Prosecution 'miserably' failed to prove conspiracy against Dileep
Kochi (PTI): The prosecution had "miserably" failed to prove the conspiracy charge against Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case, a local court has observed while citing inconsistencies and lack of sufficient evidence against the Malayalam star.
The full judgement of Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese was released late on Friday, and has revealed the judge also pointing out at unsustainable arguments put forth by the prosecution.
"The prosecution miserably failed to prove the conspiracy between accused No.1 (Pulsar Suni) and accused No.8 (Dileep) in executing the offence against the victim," the court held.
It examined in detail, the prosecution's allegation that Dileep had hired the prime accused to sexually assault the survivor and record visuals, including close-up footage of a gold ring she was wearing, to establish her identity.
On page 1130 of the judgment, under paragraph 703, the court framed the issue as whether the prosecution's contention that NS Sunil (Pulsar Suni) recorded visuals of the gold ring worn by the victim at the time of the occurrence, so as to clearly disclose her identity, was sustainable.
The prosecution contended Dileep and Suni had planned the recording so that the actress' identity would be unmistakable, with the video of the gold ring intended to convince Dileep that the visuals were genuine.
However, the court noted that this contention was not stated in the first charge sheet and was introduced only in the second one.
As part of this claim, a gold ring was seized after the victim produced it before the police.
The court observed that multiple statements of the victim were recorded from February 18, 2017, following the incident, and that she first raised allegations against Dileep only on June 3, 2017.
Even on that day, nothing was mentioned about filming of the ring as claimed by the prosecution, the court said.
The prosecution failed to explain why the victim did not disclose this fact at the earliest available opportunities.
It further noted that although the victim had viewed the sexual assault visuals twice, she did not mention any specific recording of the gold ring on those occasions, which remained unexplained.
The court also examined the approvers' statements.
One approver told the magistrate that Dileep had instructed Pulsar Suni to record the victim's wedding ring.
The court observed that no such wedding ring was available with her at that time.
During the trial, the approver changed his version, the court said.
The Special Public Prosecutor put a leading question to the approver on whether Dileep had instructed the recording of the ring, after which he deposed that the instruction was to record it to prove the victim's identity.
The court observed that the approver changed his account to corroborate the victim's evidence.
When the same question was put to another approver, he repeated the claim during the trial but admitted he had never stated this fact before the investigating officer.
The court noted that the second approver even went to the extent of claiming Dileep had instructed the execution of the crime as the victim's engagement was over.
This showed that the evidence of the second approver regarding the shooting of the ring was untrue, as her engagement had taken place after the crime.
The court further observed that the visuals themselves clearly revealed the victim's identity and that there was no need to capture images of the ring to establish identity.
In paragraph 887, the court examined the alleged motive behind the crime and noted that in the first charge sheet, the prosecution had claimed that accused persons 1 to 6 had kidnapped the victim with the common intention of capturing nude visuals to extort money by threatening to circulate them and there was no mention about Dileep's role in it.
The court also rejected the prosecution's claim that the accused had been planning the assault on Dileep's instructions since 2013, noting that the allegation was not supported by reliable evidence.
It similarly ruled out the claim that Suni attempted to sexually assault the victim in Goa in January 2017, stating that witness statements showed no such misconduct when he served as the driver of the vehicle used by the actress there.
The court also discussed various controversies that followed Dileep's arrest and the evidence relied upon by the prosecution, ultimately finding that the case had not been proved.
Pronouning its verdict on the sensational case on December 8, the court acquitted Dileep and three others.
Later, the court sentenced six accused, including the prime accused Suni, to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment.
The assault on the multilingual actress, after the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, 2017, had shocked Kerala.
Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.
