Other content tagged: SARS-CoV-2
Measures against the COVID pandemic did not affect rates of preterm births in three Scandinavian countries
A study from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden combined data from each country’s birth registry and evaluated whether the rate of preterm births was affected by lockdown measures against the COVID19 pandemic. Some prior studies indicated lower rates, but overall the results were contradictive. The new analysis by Laura Oakley and colleagues incorporated a detailed strategy to account for potential confounders and eventually could not confirm a relationship between COVID-related restriction and preterm birth rates.…
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Maintaining human milk bank services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
Human Milk Bank (HMB) services have been impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand the impact, a Virtual Communication Network (VCN) was formed to collect data and experiences from HMBs across 35 countries. Every year approx. 800,000 infants receive donor human milk (DHM) worldwide. However, seven pandemic-related vulnerabilities to HMB service provision were identified. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends donor human milk from milk banks (HMB) as the next best…
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Characteristics and outcomes of neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK
There is concern that neonates might contract infections more easily, but data on the infection rate of SARS-CoV-2 in babies is limited. To gain more insights, researchers in the UK analysed incidence, transmission and severity of SARS-CoV-2 cases in newborn babies receiving hospital care. Due to the lack of data about how the virus spreads to newborns and how it affects them, guidelines for the management of babies at risk have varied. However, the…
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Global analysis of neonatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic – a healthcare providers’ perspective
With COVID-19 disrupting neonatal health systems globally, a group of experts undertook a thematic analysis of healthcare providers’ experiences using a disseminated online survey. Results show high levels of stress on healthcare providers, disruption of newborn care practices, and lack of guidelines regarding preterm newborns and babies with low birthweight (LBW) during the pandemic. There is an urgent need to protect life-saving interventions. The implementation of the Every Newborn Action Plan in 2014 by…
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Preterm care during COVID-19 and the survival benefit of kangaroo mother care
Given the disruption of neonatal health services through the COVID-19 pandemic, a two-scenarios-analysis was conducted to weigh the risk of not implementing kangaroo mother care (KMC) among neonates with neonatal deaths from COVID-19. The undeniable survival benefit of KMC far outweighs the small risk of death due to the virus and encourage its practice. There are conflicting global guidelines on mother-newborn care during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding kangaroo mother care…
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