This is tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). And recent scientific reports make it clear that the virus can be transmitted to an infant through breast milk. Vaccination can protect against this, but must be given before pregnancy.
The first such case was recorded in Slovakia. It turned out that the mother, who was seriously ill with MCM, transmitted the virus to her child. The child was also seriously ill. This case was recently described in the medical literature by Slovak scientists. In a publication in New infectious diseases wrote, in particular: “Breastfeeding is a likely route of transmission of the TBE virus from mother to child, since cases of human infection have been confirmed by eating unpasteurized milk of infected animals or dairy products made from it.”
What are dairy epidemics?
The example of Slovakia is worrying and, as experts emphasize, it should not be underestimated. “Until now, we knew it happened in animals — we know dairy epidemics, mostly in goats. We guessed that it could probably be transmitted to people, but we had no evidence of this. Such a case was first described last year: this confirms that such a way of transmission of the virus with a viral load is possible in humans, too, said prof. Joanna Zaikowska, Infectious Diseases Specialist, Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Białystok Medical University.
What is tick-borne encephalitis?
Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral disease (unlike Lyme disease, which is a bacterial disease). Tick-borne encephalitis develops suddenly and the disease progresses very quickly. Here, symptomatic treatment is used in a hospital, since there is no effective drug for TBE. Symptoms of the disease initially resemble the flu. Then other symptoms characteristic of TBE appear. This includes severe headaches, vomiting, and stiff neck. The most common complications of tick-borne encephalitis are paresis and paralysis.
In children and adolescents, the TBE virus permanently affects the cognitive sphere, including the intellectual development of the child and his future behavior, causes problems with concentration, learning problems, behavioral disorders, impulsivity and neurological problems.
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine
Experts remind that an effective form of protection against TBE is vaccination, which is recommended from the age of 1 year. It is important, however, that the vaccine is not intended for pregnant women, so you should think about protecting yourself against the virus in advance. “It’s worth it because a vaccinated mother will pass her baby a welcome packet of antibodies through the placenta during pregnancy and then add them along with her milk when breastfeeding her baby,” emphasized Prof. Joanna Zaikowska.
Source: Wprost
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