Foetal alcohol syndrome highest in SA
THEY have no concept of right or wrong.
They often cannot read or write and are easily taken advantage of – all because their mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy.
Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a preventable yet irreversible condition that affects children of mothers who drank alcohol during pregnancy.
Vivien Lourens, an emergency foster mother for child welfare, said raising a child with FAS is very difficult.
“My daughter Trishna* cannot read and write. She cannot do sums and everything in her head costs R5. She has no concept of money at all and no concept of right and wrong,” Lourens said.
In 1996, Lourens received a call from Child Welfare for her to take in a “fail-to-thrive baby ”.
At the age of 10 weeks, Trishna was premature, not gaining weight, and had no sucking reflexes at all, so being fed was an issue.
When Lourens took Trishna for a check-up she was diagnosed with FAS.
“I did not get a lot of information on the condition and how to take care of the child, so I went home and did research.”
It was because of this experience that Lourens and her husband started an organisation called FAS Information Centre to help people with raising children with FAS.
Trishna, who is now 18 years old, still needs constant supervision. According to the World Health Organisation, Western Cape has the highest reported rates in the world, followed closely by Northern Cape.
FAS is thought to affect at least three million people in South Africa, according to the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR).
A study by the South African Medical Journal showed that there was growing evidence that FAS is a significant yet underestimated health problem in South Africa and that preventive interventions are urgently needed.
National health department spokesman Joe Maila said the department tries through various awareness programmes to promote healthy pregnancies.
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