Asymptomatic three-month-old survives Covid; mother tests –ve
The baby belongs to the family of a 25-year-old Basti grocer, who was the first patient from UP to die of coronavirus on March 30.
It was a double victory against Covid-19 for a three-month-old child and his 30-year-old mother in Gorakhpur.
First, the baby was cured of the deadly disease. Second, the mother managed to keep herself infection-free despite staying with the child in hospital for two weeks, breastfeeding and cleaning him regularly. Doctors said the child’s natural immunity, boosted by breastfeeding, helped him win the battle.
Except for an initial dose of paracetamol for fever, no medicine was given to the baby, they said. Doctors and officials greeted the mother with cheers and applause, hailing her as a winner, as she stepped out of the Baba Raghav Das Medical College hospital’s isolation ward with the child in her lap on Sunday.
Gorakhpur district magistrate K Vijyendra Pandian, divisional commissioner Jayant Narlikar and BRD Medical College principal Dr Ganesh Kumar were among those who hailed the woman’s courage in winning the Covid-19 battle for the baby and keeping herself safe by avoiding infection despite regularly breastfeeding the child.
The baby belongs to the family of a 25-year-old Basti grocer, who was the first patient from UP to die of coronavirus on March 30.
Thirteen contacts of the grocer, including the baby, tested positive. The mother and baby were tested twice on arrival in hospital on April 12. The woman tested negative while the infant was found asymptomatic but Covid-19 positive. He had no serious complications, except fever.
“The baby tested positive while the mother was negative when they came to hospital on April 12. The major challenge before the doctors was to cure the baby while ensuring that the mother does not contract the infection. Breastfeeding posed a high risk of infection to her. Thankfully, she remains (Covid-19) negative as she took every preventive measures,” he said.
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