Infection with arboviruses is extremely common and may affect the health of newborn babies. The encephalitis of West Nile virus (WNV) can lead to severe illness in infants and young children. Although most cases of West Nile encephalitis are mild, about one in 150 of these patients develop a more serious infection. Another mosquito-borne disease is dengue, which causes an abrupt onset of high fever, headache, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Moreover, the Zika virus (also known as West Nile virus) is a flavivirus that is similar to both yellow fever virus and dengue virus.
The virus is spread through mosquito bites, but only a few species are known to transmit the disease. It can also be spread through organ transplants, blood transfusions, and breastfeeding. In some cases, arboviral infections can be passed from mother to child via sexual intercourse or through blood transfusion. In some cases, arboviral infection can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with an infected mother and baby.
As with all viruses, arboviruses are capable of transferring infection from one person to another through the milk of a pregnant woman. This means that the mother should keep her child separated from her infant when breastfeeding. The mother must ensure that the breast milk is adequately expressed and that hygiene precautions are taken to avoid contamination. This step is not a replacement for a full-term lactation, and should be done only in cases of suspected Arbovirus infection.
When breastfeeding by mother in endemic area of arbuviral disease, it is important to ensure that the milk is free from the infected mother’s body. This is because the virus can cross the respiratory barrier and reach the newborn. Nonetheless, the risk of transmission to the infant by the respiratory tract is very low. Therefore, the patient should not be allowed to breastfeed.
MTCT of arboviral disease involves the crossing of respiratory barriers. In addition, the presence of infectious particles in the milk of mothers infected with arbovirus is linked to dysphagia in newborns. Infection in this way may occur by the mother’s breastmilk. This infection is highly contagious to the infant. The mother’s antibodies can kill the infected baby.
During MTCT of arboviral disease, the mother’s breastmilk is also contaminated. The infectious particles may enter the newborn’s respiratory tract, where they are passed on to the infant. In some cases, the infected mothers will transmit the arboviruses to their babies through the baby’s milk. If the virus is transmitted from mother to child, the baby can develop the disease.
