There’s a condition that doesn’t discriminate against culture, faith, politics, status or designation, nor does it hint towards the existence of a cure. It seems there’s only one thing it firmly stands by – the fact that it is 100% preventable.
Retrieved from: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Local/UD-News/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-safe-during-pregnancy-20160907
“Some people still believe, for instance, that a woman must be an alcoholic to give birth to a child with FASD,” says FARR chief executive Leana Olivier.
“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.”
She says a large proportion of children with ADHD-like symptoms – a common behavioral disorder in all communities – could be attributed to alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
“A child with FAS can suffer from various defects like 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 cause and effect reasoning,” she says.
According to FARR founder Prof. Denis Viljoen, eleven studies were done in four of South Africa’s provinces – recording the highest reported FAS rates in the world!
“This epidemic is 100% preventable. Rather be safe than sorry,” says Viljoen.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Edmonton and Area Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Network.