COVID causes brain damage in 2 infants infected during pregnancy - US study

Researchers at the University of Miami reported what they believe are the first two confirmed cases in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus crossed a mother's placenta and caused brain damage in the infants they were carrying, Report informs, citing Reuters.

Doctors previously had suspected this was possible, but until now, there was no direct evidence of COVID-19 in a mother's placenta or an infant's brain, the team told reporters at a news briefing.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been detected in adult brain tissue, and some experts had suspected it could also damage fetal brain tissue. "This is the first time that we've been able to demonstrate the virus in a fetal organ with a transplacental passage," Dr. Michael Paidas, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami, told the briefing. "That's why we think this is so important."

The newborns had seizures from the first day of life. However, unlike Zika, the babies were not born with microcephaly, a condition marked by small head size. Instead, microcephaly developed over time as their brains stopped growing at a normal rate, the team said.

Both infants had severe developmental delays. One of the children died at 13 months, and the other was in hospice care, the team said.

The team also urged women who were considering pregnancy to get vaccinated against COVID and said pregnant women should consider vaccination.