DRINKING DURING PREGNANCY CAN HARM THE UNBORN CHILD
Babies often born with severe defects
THERE is no amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy that is safe for the unborn child.
Pregnant women must stay away from the bottle or risk the lives of their unborn babies, an organisation fighting Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) says.
Exactly 19 years ago, September 9 was declared Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Day to raise awareness about FAS and FASD.
FAS is the most severe of these disorders. Though the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (Farr) was founded in 1997, its chief executive Leana Olivier said there “was a long way to go”.
“… a lot still needs to be done. In some areas, the FAS prevalence rate is as high as 25%. There are still many myths around FASD. Some people still believe, for instance, that a woman must be an alcoholic to give birth to a child with FASD.
“The truth is, however, that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. There is no known safe amount of alcohol pregnant women can drink without raising the risk of damaging their unborn babies,” Olivier said.
She said the disorders were incurable, and South Africa had high levels of FASD.
“They are lifelong, incurable conditions caused by alcohol exposure. A large portion of children with [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] ADHDlike symptoms – a common behavioural disorder in all communities – could be attributed to alcohol consumption during pregnancy.”
She said FASD was a broad spectrum of abnormal signs and symptoms in children due to mothers drinking when they were pregnant. Olivier said FAS was a mental disability – the most severe of the FASDs.
“In this case, the damage to the unborn child is permanent and cannot be reversed. A child with FAS can suffer from various defects, apart from intellectual deficits.
“Apart from damage to the eyes, ears and heart, this may also include brain damage, which results in lifelong problems such as learning disabilities, interpersonal relationship problems, developmental disabilities such as fine motor development, coordination, arithmetic and [can] cause and affect reasoning,” Olivier said.
Farr has done a number of studies in Johannesburg; in Aurora, Saldanha, Wellington, De Aar and Witzenberg in Western Cape; in Upington and Kimberley in Northern Cape; and Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape.
The studies revealed that Witzenberg has a prevalence rate of children suffering from FASD of between 25 and 180 in 1 000, De Aar stood at 122 in 1 000, Port Elizabeth recorded 130 in 1 000 while Johannesburg was at 27 in 1 000.
Recently released stats of FASD among Grade 1 pupils in 14 schools in Bethelsdorp and Helenvale in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, Eastern Cape, revealed a prevalence rate of 130 in 1 000 or 13%.
“The FASD prevalence rate revealed in the study gives an indication of the high level of alcohol abuse in the study area. This has far-reaching and serious implications on the educational, psychosocial and economic wellbeing of the affected children, their families and the community at large.
“With this project we strive to raise awareness and empower local service providers and community members to prevent alcohol abuse during pregnancy and ultimately FASD,” said Olivier.