A new study from the USA examines whether corona antibodies in babies differ depending on whether the mother is vaccinated, recovered or unvaccinated.
Massachusetts – Corona vaccinations prevent severe courses as a result of an infection with the corona virus. Pregnant women are particularly at risk. Experts therefore advise that expectant mothers also be vaccinated with one of the recommended corona vaccines*. Babies also receive a certain amount of corona protection *, as a current US study shows.
It has already been suggested that vaccination of the mother could also provide the baby with antibodies. This has now been confirmed by a study by the Massachusetts General Hospital in the USA*. Expectant mothers therefore also pass on antibodies to their children through the corona vaccinations. The researchers published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as reported by Spiegel Online.
Corona vaccinations for mothers: Mothers pass on antibodies to infants
According to the study, 77 expectant mothers who had been vaccinated twice with an mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus took part in the study. In addition, twelve pregnant women who had been infected with the virus and developed symptoms in the 20th to 32nd week of pregnancy were examined. According to the researchers, the transmission of antibodies to the child should be at its highest during this period.
After childbirth, it was found that the antibody level was higher in vaccinated mothers and in their umbilical cord blood than in the recovered and unvaccinated mothers.
Corona vaccinations in pregnant women: antibodies can still be detected months after birth
The researchers also found that antibodies from vaccinated mothers were still present in the infant after birth: Even after two months, 98 percent of infants from vaccinated mothers had antibodies. And even six months after delivery, antibodies could still be detected in 57 percent of the infants.
Infected women: Antibody differences depending on the mother’s vaccination status
The situation was different in infants from previously infected and unvaccinated mothers: after two months, the antibody level was lower than in infants from vaccinated mothers. In the study, six months after birth, only eight percent of infants from infected and unvaccinated mothers – one in twelve children – still had antibodies.
It has not yet been clarified how high the titer, the level of antibodies, has to be in order to completely protect an infant from Covid, said the doctor and co-author of the study Andrea Edlow, according to Der Spiegel. However, it is known that a high level of immunoglobulin G is associated with protection against serious diseases. The persistence of the antibody response shows that the vaccination not only provides lasting protection for the mothers, but also antibodies that persist in the majority of infants until at least six months of age, the doctor also said.
Myths about the side effects of vaccinations on women’s fertility also circulated on the Internet, but these could be refuted*. The vaccinations reduce the risk of serious illnesses and miscarriages. The risk of miscarriage and a severe course of the mother is increased during a corona infection during pregnancy. (df) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Caroline Seidel / dpa
