Newborn infected with coronavirus

Pregnant women infected with the deadly Wuhan coronavirus may be able to pass the illness on to their unborn children, scientists in China have suggested after finding a newborn had been infected.

The death toll for the virus has continued to increase since the strain was first observed in December 2019 – with some 490 people killed in China, where 24,324 cases have been reported.

Now a newborn child has been confirmed to be among the reported cases – having tested positive for the virus just 30 hours after their birth on 2 February at Wuhan Children Hospital.

Doctors have since raised concerns the illness could have been passed from mother to child in the womb, potentially setting the virus – termed 2019-n-CoV by scientists – apart from other coronaviruses that have led to global health crises like Sars and MERS.

"This reminds us to pay attention to mother-to-child being a possible route of coronavirus transmission," said the chief physician of Wuhan Children Hospital's neonatal medicine department, Zeng Lingkong.

The hospital went on to confirm a second case involving an infant – with a child showing symptoms 16 days after their birth.

Both the baby’s nanny and mother were found to have contracted the illness in the days following its birth on 13 January, with the infant showing signs of infection on 29 January.

Neither of the two infants are in a critical condition, according to doctors.

 

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