SynthesisAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences2021
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through breast milk and breastfeeding: a living systematic review.
Synthesis in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
94 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 172 citations in OpenAlex.
- SARS-CoV-2 positivity in offspring and timing of mother-to-child transmission: living systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Pooled it
- COVID-19 guidelines for pregnant women and new mothers: A systematic evidence review.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2021Pooled it
- COVID-19 and pregnancy: An umbrella review of clinical presentation, vertical transmission, and maternal and perinatal outcomes.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Clinical care of pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19: Living recommendations from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce.The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2020Guideline
- [Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy. Update of Information and proposed care. CNGOF].Gynecologie, obstetrique, fertilite & senologie · 2020Guideline
- Systematic review protocol on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among lactating people.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Breastfeeding and Infant Formulas: Short- and Long-Term Impacts on Infant Nutrition and Health.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Double Jeopardy: The Intersection of COVID-19 and Pregnancy in an Educational Hospital, Northern Iran, Gorgan.Archives of Razi Institute · 2025Article
- Lactoferrin and SIgA Concentrations in Human Milk of SARS-CoV-Infected Mothers-Polish Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Neonatal Feeding Practices and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Neonates with Perinatal SARS-CoV-2 Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Comparison of the Effect of Distance and Face-to-face Breastfeeding Education on Female Nursing Students' Knowledge: A Quasi-experimental Study.International journal of community based nursing and midwifery · 2025Article
- Associations between SARS-CoV-2 Infection or COVID-19 Vaccination and Human Milk Composition: A Multi-Omics Approach.The Journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- How to Manage a Neonate Born from a SARS-CoV-2-Positive Mother: A Narrative Review.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Human Milk Microbiome-A Review of Scientific Reports.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Unveiling the lead exposure attributed burden in Iran from 1990 to 2019 through the lens of the Global Burden of Disease study 2019.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Investigating the mode of transmission of COVID-19 through genital secretions, semen, the birth canal, and lactation: A systematic review.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024Article
- Feeding Practices of Stable Term and Late Preterm Neonates Born at a Tertiary Hospital in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Acta medica Philippina · 2024Article
- Viruses and Human Milk: Transmission or Protection?Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023Review
- Perinatal Outcomes at Birth in Women Infected and Non-Infected with SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Association of the presence of a COVID-19 infection at the time of birth and the rates of exclusive breastfeeding upon discharge in BFHI hospitals: a multicenter, prospective cohort study.International breastfeeding journal · 2023Observational
34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by infection with a novel coronavirus strain, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). At present, there is limited information on potential transmission of the infection from mother to child, particularly through breast milk and breastfeeding. Here, we provide a living systematic review to capture information that might necessitate changes in the guidance on breast milk and breastfeeding given the uncertainty in this area. Our search retrieved 19,414 total records; 605 were considered for full-text eligibility and no ongoing trials were identified. Our review includes 340 records, 37 with breast milk samples and 303 without. The 37 articles with analyzed breast milk samples reported on 77 mothers who were breastfeeding their children; among them, 19 of 77 children were confirmed COVID-19 cases based on RT-PCR assays, including 14 neonates and five older infants. Nine of the 68 analyzed breast milk samples from mothers with COVID-19 were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA; of the exposed infants, four were positive and two were negative for COVID-19. Currently, there is no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through breast milk. Studies are needed with longer follow-up periods that collect data on infant feeding practices and on viral presence in breast milk.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.