In an effort to prevent infants being infected with SARS-CoV-2, some governments, professional organisations, and health facilities are instituting policies that isolate newborns from their mothers and otherwise prevent or impede breastfeeding. Such policies are risky as was shown in the early response to the HIV pandemic where efforts to prevent mother to child transmission by replacing breastfeeding with infant formula feeding ultimately resulted in more infant deaths. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of maternal SARS-CoV-2 transmission needs to be weighed against the protection skin-to-skin contact, maternal proximity, and breastfeeding affords infants. Policy makers and practitioners need to learn from the mistakes of the HIV pandemic and not undermine breastfeeding in the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that in order to maximise infant health and wellbeing, COVID-19 policies should support skin-to-skin contact, maternal proximity, and breastfeeding.

中文翻译：

---

HIV 大流行带来的错误应该为孕产妇和新生儿护理的 COVID-19 应对措施提供参考。


为了防止婴儿感染 SARS-CoV-2，一些政府、专业组织和卫生机构正在制定政策，将新生儿与母亲隔离，并以其他方式防止或阻碍母乳喂养。这些政策是有风险的，正如艾滋病毒大流行的早期应对措施所表明的那样，通过用婴儿配方奶粉喂养代替母乳喂养来防止母婴传播的努力最终导致更多婴儿死亡。在 COVID-19 大流行中，需要权衡孕产妇传播 SARS-CoV-2 的风险与皮肤接触、孕产妇接近和母乳喂养为婴儿提供的保护。政策制定者和从业者需要从艾滋病毒大流行的错误中吸取教训，不要在 COVID-19 大流行中破坏母乳喂养。显然，为了最大限度地提高婴儿的健康和福祉，COVID-19 政策应支持肌肤接触、产妇亲近和母乳喂养。