20 AUG, 2020
Since Tuesday evening, some 5,000 women have responded to Emma Children Hospital’s call to donate breast milk. “Our researchers are very enthusiastic about the overwhelming response,” according to a spokesperson of the Emma Children’s hospital, (A unit of Amsterdam UMC University Hospital).
Hospital research shows that the breast milk of women who have had a Covid-19 infection, contains antibodies against the coronavirus. Researchers are now going to investigate whether the milk can be used to prevent corona infections, for example in vulnerable groups such as the elderly. For this reason, the hospital started a campaign earlier this week to recruit a thousand women who wanted to donate breast milk. The concerning women were asked to donate 100 milliliters to the Breastmilk Bank.
It remains to be seen whether breast milk is indeed effective as a preventive treatment method against the corona virus. If this is the case, breast milk may be used for groups at risk, should a second corona wave occur.
The research is a collaboration of the Experimental Virology department of Amsterdam UMC with the Dutch Breast Milk Bank, Wageningen Research & Development, Utrecht University, Sanquin and Viroclinics.
[Source: web publication ‘Welingelichte Kringen’ via ANP, 20 AUG, 2020], click here for the original article (published in Dutch) ]
