Testagem universal de COVID-19 na população obstétrica: impactos para a saúde pública

Mariane de Oliveira Menezes, Carla Betina Andreucci, Marcos Nakamura-Pereira, Roxana Knobel, Cláudia Garcia Magalhães, Maíra Libertad Soligo Takemoto
2020 Cadernos de Saúde Pública  
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Since the disease only emerged recently, numerous questions remain to be answered. For example, there are still many doubts concerning the potential for transmission by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic carriers, thus far there is no provenly effective specific treatment, and it is not known whether acquired immunity after the infection exists or how long it lasts. Measures to reduce transmission are
more » ... mended, such as social isolation, hygiene, and use of face masks, besides specific personal protective equipment for health professionals 1,2,3 . As of July 7, 2020, the disease had already caused 542,798 deaths in the world 4 , notably with a wide diversity of clinical patterns and multiplicity of organs and systems affected. However, its effect during pregnancy and postpartum is still not completely known. Preliminary data appeared to indicate that pregnant and postpartum women were not more susceptible to COVID-19 5, 6 . However, more recent data suggest the possibility of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes, perhaps related to the body's adaptations to gestation, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, also affected by coronaviruses 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 . Although evidence of vertical transmission of the virus is still scarce, there are reports of neonatal infection 12 , in addition to the increased risk of prematurity due to the exacerbation of clinical symptoms in pregnant women with the infection 6,10 , amplifying the potential impacts of COVID-19 on pregnancy, besides the immediate effects on maternal or fetal health. In addition, the literature has reported concerns related to the increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in resource-constrained contexts, particularly Brazil and other Latin American countries 7, 13 . Currently, 160 maternal deaths associated with COVID-19 have been published in the
doi:10.1590/0102-311x00164820 pmid:32756766 fatcat:6rsmowhbsvcchcb7oneuiwk4lu