The sad truth surrounding FAS is that although it is 100 per cent preventable, it is also 100 per cent incurable.
Pienaar explained that all a mother needs do to prevent FAS is to abstain from drinking any alcohol for the nine months she is pregnant. "Even a single alcoholic drink while being pregnant could affect the baby's brain development," she said.
There is no 'safe level' of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It is also a myth that after the first trimester (first three months) of pregnancy it is safe to drink alcohol. A foetus' brain can be affected at anytime during the pregnancy.
FAS is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation. Unfortunately, FAS is a lifelong, invisible and irreversible disability with symptoms that may only become obvious when the child is three or four years old.
Pienaar pointed out that the research conducted in the rural village of Wellington could easily be equated to the situation within George where one out of every eight children are born with FAS.
"It is really very sad," she said. Unfortunately, there are, according to Pienaar, no programmes within the George area that address the prevention of FAS. "We received money from the lottery for a prevention programme, but as the money ran out we had no choice but to stop the programme." Pienaar added that the Government funds intervention, treatment and aftercare programmes, but not the prevention programmes. "Prevention is better than cure," she said.
It was clear to see Pienaar's frustration. "I always equate the situation to a river flowing past us, every now and then we get to pluck somebody out of the river, but we never get to find the person responsible for throwing them into the river to start with," said Pienaar. "The gang war in the Cape Flats is being fought using FAS children as human shields. Because FAS children do not learn from cause and effect they do not realise that they may get killed," said a perplexed Pienaar. She further explained that a normal child will learn that by touching a hot stove top they will get burnt, but a FAS child will touch that same stove top over and over without learning that it hurts.
"I urge the Department of Social Development to create more awareness surrounding the issue of FAS and the programmes they run to redress this social ill," said DA Western Cape Spokesperson for Social Development, Anroux Marais.
"I reiterate the importance of parental responsibility in raising children. The Western Cape Government can have all the programmes available, but it is not going to redress social issues if parents and caregivers do not stand accountable for their children and play the responsible parental role required to give children lives they can value," Marais concluded.
The first FAS Day began on 9 September 1999 in Auckland, New Zealand, where 'Minute of Reflection' bells rang at 09:09 at Mount Albert Methodist Church. It then moved to Australia and on to South Africa, where, at 09:09, Cape Town volunteers gathered to hear the War Memorial Carillion ring. The number nine is symbolic of the nine months a mother carries her unborn child.
Five years ago, the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) Chairman's Report stated, "The severity of the potential crisis facing the country is best illustrated by the results from the De Aar project that shows a prevalence of FAS in the town of 122 per 1 000 school-entry children, thus 12,2 per cent. This is officially the highest frequency yet reported in one population anywhere in the world."
According to Pienaar, between 5 000 and 10 000 children are born with FAS in South Africa every year. "FAS is such a difficult problem. Unless we change the mindset of people relating to alcohol, especially that it is not okay for women to have any alcohol while pregnant, the problem of FAS will never truly be addressed," she concluded.
On the left is the 'normal' brain of a six-week-old baby. The other is the brain of a Foetal Alcolhol Syndrome (FAS) baby of the same age.
'We bring you the latest George | Garden Route news'
