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Fact Checks
Health
Did Breastfeeding Baby Die After Mother Received COVID-19 Vaccine Dose?


DID BREASTFEEDING BABY DIE AFTER MOTHER RECEIVED COVID-19 VACCINE DOSE?


HEALTH EXPERTS DO RECOMMEND THE VACCINE BE GIVEN TO BREASTFEEDING PARENTS.

 * Madison Dapcevich

 * Published 31 March 2021
 * Updated 7 May 2021

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Email




CLAIM

A child died after suffering a severe rash and serious medical complications
after the breastfeeding mother received her second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.


RATING

Unproven
About this rating




ORIGIN

Snopes is still fighting an “infodemic” of rumors and misinformation surrounding
the COVID-19 pandemic, and you can help. Find out what we’ve learned and how to
inoculate yourself against COVID-19 misinformation. Read the latest fact checks
about the vaccines. Submit any questionable rumors and “advice” you encounter.
Become a Founding Member to help us hire more fact-checkers. And, please, follow
the CDC or WHO for guidance on protecting your community from the disease.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In late March 2021, claims of an infant dying after its breastfeeding mother
received a second dose of an unspecified COVID-19 vaccine circulated on the
internet, furthering a narrative that suggested vaccines may have understudied
or unknown safety implications.



The above post includes what appears to be a photograph of the torso of an
infant covered in a hives-like rash that was said to have occurred after its
nursing parent received the “covid vaccine,” yet omits the name of the original
poster and the group in which the message was posted. A Facebook user who goes
by the name Caitlyn RN, and whose timeline revealed a number of posts that
expressed opposition to vaccinations, commented on the post with the below
story:

> Lyndsi received her second dose last Wednesday. Thursday her breastfed baby
> was covered in a head to toe rash. By that night he was inconsolable and
> declining so they went to the ER. Baby was diagnosed witht thrombotic
> thrombocytopenic purpura and elevated liver enzymes. He was hospitalized and
> began various treatments but continued to decline. He passed away last night.



In mid-March, some websites and a number of social media users also posted the
story in a chain-letter-style Facebook post with information copied and pasted
rather than shared from the original post. Furthermore, the content of the post
was vague and in no instance gave the last name of “Lyndsi,” her location, or
any other identifying characteristics. In most instances, users did not cite an
original source but simply credited the story to an unnamed friend.

Our investigation determined that the photo in question likely depicts an
authentic rash on a child, but we cannot say with certainty what type of rash it
was or what might have caused it. Nor did the original poster include any
identifying information that would allow our team to track a death certificate
or any other information about the child or its condition. Thus, we rate this
claim as “Unproven.”

Identifying the rash featured in the photograph is difficult, especially
considering that rash-inducing viral infections are not uncommon in children and
can be caused by a number of viruses, including chickenpox, measles, rubella,
mononucleosis, and certain types of herpes infection. Though it is true that
such rashes could result in elevated liver enzymes or a rare blood disorder
known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, there is no evidence to suggest
that any of the above conditions may be caused by vaccine fluid emitted via
breastmilk.

To understand why such an occurrence is extremely unlikely, we must first
understand how vaccines impact the human body. As of this writing, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) for the
Pfizer-BioNtech mRNA for use in individuals age 16 years and older as a two-dose
regimen given three weeks apart; the Moderna vaccine for use in those age 18 and
older as a two-dose regimen given one month apart; and the Johnson & Johnson
vaccine for use in individuals age 18 and older as a single dose regimen.

“These conversations are challenging because the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine trial
excluded lactating individuals. As a result, there are no clinical data
regarding the safety of this vaccine in nursing mothers,” wrote the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine in a statement. “However, there is little biological
plausibility that the vaccine will cause harm, and antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in
milk may protect the breastfeeding child.”

This is largely due to the way in which a vaccine is produced and how it enters
the body. Vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna are made of lipid nanoparticles that
contain mRNA from the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. These particles are injected
into the muscle, taken up by the muscle cells, and then transcribe to produce
spike protein. It is this protein that stimulates an immune response and
protects the individual against the virus.

First and foremost, it is unlikely that a vaccine lipid would enter the
bloodstream and reach the breast tissue. Even if it did, it is less likely that
either an intact nanoparticle or mRNA would be transferred into the breastmilk.
And in the extremely unlikely event that mRNA was present in milk, it would be
digested by the child — not entered into their bloodstream — and is unlikely to
impose any biological side effects.

In fact, experts note that there could be an even bigger reward lurking in the
breastmilk of vaccinated mothers. That’s because the antibodies and T-cells
stimulated by the vaccine in the breastfeeding parent may transfer through
breastmilk, in theory protecting the child from infection.




WHAT THE FDA SAYS

Snopes spoke with an FDA spokesperson who said that the agency takes all reports
of adverse events related to vaccines seriously. In the case of COVID-19
vaccines, the FDA works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in the surveillance of vaccines being administered under an EUA
in order to identify and address potential safety concerns. In addition, the FDA
and CDC have a wide array of systems in place to monitor the safety of
vaccines. 

One such program is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a
passive reporting system overseen by the CDC that receives unverified reports of
adverse events following immunization with both licensed (approved) vaccines and
the FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines. A search through the VAERS online database
CDC Wonder for available data through March 19 did not reveal any record of an
infant who had died as a result of their mother receiving the vaccination.

“Any reports of death following the administration of vaccines are promptly and
rigorously investigated jointly by FDA and CDC. Such an investigation includes
working with health care providers to obtain medical histories and clinical
follow-up information,” noted the spokesperson.

“It is important to note that adverse events reported to VAERS following the
administration of a COVID-19 vaccine do not necessarily indicate a causal
relationship between receipt of the vaccine and the event.”

However, it is important to note that there is a lag time between reports to
VAERS and when the reports are available online, and a subsequent look at the
data revealed there was a corresponding case

On April 23, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson shared a screenshot of
a corresponding case that described a five-month-old infant who died of
thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a serious but rare blood clotting disorder.
Berenson described the recording as an “authentic and highly detailed report.”

> VAERS reports a breastfeeding five-month old infant has died of TTP – a rare
> clotting disorder linked to, yes, low platelets. He became ill one day after
> his mother received her second @pfizer shot.
> 
> This is an authentic and highly detailed report. pic.twitter.com/oNeWeFyYdp
> 
> — Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) April 23, 2021





Our own search of case number 1166062-1 revealed that there was such a case
filed in the VAERS system: 



The report was filed on April 4 — four days after our initial reporting of this
event. It described a five-month-old male infant who had a recorded vaccination
date of March 17 with an onset of symptoms the following day. A description of
the adverse event read:

> Patient received second dose of Pfizer vaccine on March 17, 2020 while at
> work. March 18, 202 her 5 month old breastfed infant developed a rash and
> within 24 hours was inconsolable, refusing to eat, and developed a fever.
> Patient brought baby to local ER where assessments were performed, blood
> analysis revealed elevated liver enzymes. Infant was hospitalized but
> continued to decline and passed away. Diagnosis of TTP. No known allergies. No
> new exposures aside from the mother’s vaccination the previous day. 

First and foremost, the above description listed a vaccine receipt date of 2020,
not 2021. And as some Twitter users pointed out, while healthcare providers are
required by law to report to VAERS, anyone can file a VAERS report. Just because
a case is listed in the system does not mean that it is authentic or has been
validated by medical professionals. (It is also important to note that knowingly
filing a false VAERS report is a violation of Federal law (18 U.S. Code § 1001)
punishable by fine and imprisonment.)

“VAERS is a passive reporting system, meaning it relies on individuals to send
in reports of their experiences. Anyone can submit a report to VAERS, including
parents and patients,” read the CDC website. “The Vaccine Adverse Event
Reporting System (VAERS) accepts all reports, including reports of vaccination
errors.” 

Furthermore, the claim alleges that the mother was vaccinated, but the case
report suggests that the infant had been vaccinated.

Breastfeeding recommendations established by the CDC further rote that with the
exception of smallpox and yellow fever vaccines, neither inactivated nor
live-virus vaccines administered to a lactating woman affect the safety of
breastfeeding for women or their infants. Guidelines set forth by the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that COVID-19
vaccines be offered to both pregnant and lactating individuals.

According to the EUA factsheets provided to healthcare professionals for
Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines, available data on
COVID-19 vaccine administered to pregnant women are insufficient to inform
vaccine-associated risks in pregnancy because they have not been tested in
pregnant women, limited data for use in pregnancy and clinical trials are
ongoing, and pregnant or breastfeeding individuals should discuss options with
their provider.

“ACOG recommends COVID-19 vaccines be offered to lactating individuals. While
lactating individuals were not included in most clinical trials, COVID-19
vaccines should not be withheld from lactating individuals who otherwise meet
criteria for vaccination. Theoretical concerns regarding the safety of
vaccinating lactating individuals do not outweigh the potential benefits of
receiving the vaccine. There is no need to avoid initiation or discontinue
breastfeeding in patients who receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” wrote the
organization in a March 24 statement.

While more data is needed to test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in
pregnant and lactating individuals, healthcare experts largely agree that the
protection of serious disease provided by the vaccine outweighs any perceived
risk that it may impose.

Recent Updates
 1. [May 7, 2021]: This article was updated to include case number 1166062-1
    filed in the VAERS reporting system.

 * Madison Dapcevich

 * Published 31 March 2021
 * Updated 7 May 2021

COVID-19
COVID-19 Vaccine

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