Role of human milk banks amid COVID 19: perspective from a milk bank in India

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the operation of donor human milk banks in various countries such as China, Italy and India. It is understandable that this impact on operations of donor human milk might hamper the capability of these milk banks to provide sufficient pasteurized donor milk to neonates who need it. Contrary to developed world, predominant donors in developing nations are mothers of hospitalised neonates who have a relatively long period of hospital stay. This longer maternal hospital stay enhances the feasibility of milk donation by providing mothers with access to breast pumps to express their milk. Any excess milk a mother expresses which is above the needs of their own infant can be voluntarily donated. This physical proximity of milk banks to donors may help continuation of human milk donation in developing nations during the pandemic. Nevertheless, protocols need to be implemented to i) ensure the microbiological quality of the milk collected and ii) consider steps to mitigate potential consequences related to the possibility of the donor being an asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19. We present the procedural modifications implemented at the Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre at Lady Hardinge Medical College in India to promote breastfeeding and human milk donation during the pandemic which comply with International and National guidelines. This commentary provides a perspective from a milk bank in India which might differ from the perspective of the international donor human milk banking societies.