"If you look at the current conditions, considering the risk of not being vaccinated against being vaccinated. Of course, the choice is getting vaccinated," Head of the Public Health Division of the Jakarta Health Office Fify Mulyani said during a discussion on exclusive breastfeeding here on Monday.
According to Mulyani, it can be dangerous for breastfeeding women if they contract COVID-19 and experience severe symptoms.
Meanwhile, the side-effects of vaccination are typically the same as those experienced by people who are not breastfeeding, such as fever, soreness around the injection area, sleepiness, and other common post-immunization complaints, she said.
"The benefits of being vaccinated for breastfeeding women are greater than the risks," she noted.
Therefore, breastfeeding mothers are urged to register at the community health centers (Puskesmas) or through the Jaki application to schedule a vaccination, she added.
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Earlier, an official from the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI), Wiyarni Pambudi, had revealed that increased immunity had been seen in breastfeeding mothers who had received the COVID-19 vaccination.
In fact, their antibody levels increased 14 days after the first dose was injected, she added.
“In mothers who had been vaccinated against COVID-19, it was found that levels of specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk increased rapidly within 14 days after the first dose of vaccination, getting stronger after week four and measurably higher at weeks 5 and 6,'' she explained.
Meanwhile, breastfeeding mothers who are confirmed positive for COVID-19 can still exclusively breastfeed their babies, she said.
Research has shown that breast milk in COVID-19 positive mothers has a high antibody content, she explained.
''In mothers who are confirmed positive, it turns out that their breast milk contains immunoglobulin A and G, lactalbumin, lactoferrin, which specifically can give protection against SARS-CoV-2. This is what is called natural passive immunization, which COVID-19 positive mothers give to their babies,'' Pambudi explained.
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Translator: Dewa Ketut, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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