Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Warning
It is widely accepted that foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) can occur with excessive alcohol intake during pregnancy, says Dr Lisi Finiasi of the Ministry of Health.
FAS is a pattern of physical and mental defects that can develop in a foetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
“Drinking excessive alcohol during pregnancy can cause FAS as well as developmental delays in children born to alcoholic mothers,” Dr Finiasi said.
She said even though there had been no study done in Fiji to comment on how common the problem was they were advising expecting mothers not to drink.
“FAS refers to the unborn child of a mother who drinks alcohol and a child can not have FAS if the mother does not drink alcohol.”
Dr Finiasi said the condition was not hereditary.
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