Powerful COVID Protection
Last June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the use of COVID-19 vaccines down to 6 months of age. But that doesn’t mean younger infants are out of luck. Hanna Webster found a new study confirming prior research (covered here on The PediaBlog) demonstrating powerful protection in breast milk:
A mother’s milk is good for more than just providing essential nutrients — it also has antibacterial properties, and a recent study found more evidence that mothers vaccinated against COVID-19 passed immunity on to their infants, who are too young to be vaccinated against the virus themselves.
The study by the University of Florida was a follow-up of previous research there in 2021 that found evidence of antibodies against the coronavirus in breast milk. This hinted at a link to babies acquiring what they called “passive immunity” against the virus, but the new study took it further and measured infants’ stool for those same antibodies.
Pediatricians like AHN Pediatrics Chair Joe Aracri, M.D. aren’t surprised by the results:
“As we always knew with breastfeeding, there are antibodies in milk that give a baby protection in the first delicate months of life,” he said. “It’s no surprise that COVID antibodies also transfer and give the baby a level of protection against COVID.”
Measuring antibody levels in the stool is a nifty and non-invasive way to show how long protection lasts when a vaccinated mother breastfeeds her susceptible newborn and young infant:
This protection peaked at about one month and started to wane at around six months, mirroring what other researchers and clinicians are finding in real time. And protection at six months in babies with vaccinated mothers was higher than in those with unvaccinated mothers.
We already know how important human breast milk can be in supporting a baby’s growth, development, emotional well-being, and immune function. The new research should encourage more new mothers to make sure they are immunized against COVID-19 (and other vaccine-preventable diseases) before or immediately after delivery for protection only they can provide to their precious newborns.
source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/02/22/powerful-covid-protection/
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