Can the Norovirus be transmitted through breast milk?
The norovirus has no possibility to get into the mother’s milk and therefore cannot be transmitted through it. The situation is different with breastfeeding as a whole: if hygiene measures are not followed properly, an infected mother can contaminate her breast with her hands, for example, so that the child can absorb the pathogen not through breast milk but through breastfeeding. If the required hygiene rules are observed, breastfeeding or breast milk can even be a protective factor for the child: This is because certain sugar molecules are transferred with breast milk, which attach themselves to the norovirus in the child’s intestine and thus accelerate its excretion. For this reason, breastfed children are less likely to contract Norovirus than unbreastfed children.
Can the norovirus be transmitted during pregnancy?
The norovirus cannot be transmitted to the unborn child and therefore does not pose a direct danger to the offspring. However, repeated diarrhoea and vomiting can considerably weaken the mother’s fluid and electrolyte balance, which in more severe cases can endanger the child.So it can be recorded: In the case of a norovirus infection during pregnancy, great importance should be attached to an appropriate fluid and electrolyte balance and in case of doubt (in the case of particularly pronounced or long-lasting diarrhea with vomiting) seek medical help immediately.
