Sunday, January 16, 2011

Child Development and Public Health

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has always been an alarming topic to me. SID's is one of the many issues that face families; I will never understand the reasoning behind it. A baby comes home from the hospital and suddenly dies with no known causes of death, that is puzzling to me. I can imagine how traumatic this is to families. Sudden Infant Death can happen to any family, it has no particular prey.

In South Africa the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is 44 babies to die to every 1,000 born. This rate is high in comparison to other countries. Health professionals feel this is due to the number of babies born with HIV. They also feel mothers do not get the proper pre-natal care needed during pregnancy. Officials have also related premature births to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. While many speculate on the causes of SID's, I believe parents should be educated on precautions measures.

A few weeks ago I read an article in the "Baltimore's Child" called "First Candle Brightens Outlook for Infants and Families". First candle is an organization which supports families who have experienced Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There are counselors who work with families and help them cope with the loss of their baby. They also provide classes and seminars on how to properly lay babies down when they are sleeping. I found this to be an outstanding organization to help families deal with their loss.

In working with children there are many issues that can arise at any given time. In being knowledgeable about Sudden Infant Death will help me to effectively communicate with families that may have gone through this experience.

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/afp/safricahealthaidschildrenhospital

1 comment:

  1. Hi Felicia SIDS is worldwide known in the United states and in other countries and there is no reason while it happens and the comeup with different ways to keep babies from dying with SIDS sometimes it works and some tims it don't.Because I was scared of my babies dying from SIDS I used to go and wake them up every so often or watch them breath because inMississippi in the late 1980's and the 1990's there were quite a few babies dying from SID's.

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