Breastfeeding, Asthma, Skin Cancer, Acne & Roaccutane, Mobile ‘Phones, Raw Beef & TB, Drowning, Controlled Crying, Electrical Danger in the Home BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS WEEK 2002 This week is National Breastfeeding Awareness Week and there have been a number of articles in the press. Breast fed babies healthier says one article reporting on the advantage of feeding for six months over stopping breastfeeding at four months – the extra two months feeding leads to a reduction in the incidence of coughs, colds and ear infections. All-clear on alcohol and mother's milk says that unlike drinking in pregnancy, moderate amounts of alcohol while breastfeeding appears to be harmless for the baby. PCBs and Dioxins in Breast Milk This is an issue that has caused many mothers a lot of worry – should they breastfeed or not, given that PCBs have been found in breast milk. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are toxic chemicals found in the environment. PCBs are known to cause cancer, liver damage and damage to the developing foetus. They are leaked into the environment from old electrical equipment and also by fires and bonfires. They are fat-soluble and most human contact is by eating fatty foods. Meat (especially liver), milk, fish, cod liver oil and eggs all contain PCBs. There has been some concern about PCBs in breast milk and a report in the Lancet showed that high levels of PCBs in breast milk led to poor development almost equal to the effect of an un-stimulating home life. The good news is that the chemicals are monitored by MAFF and in the UK our exposure to PCBs has fallen by 75% in the last 20 years and continues to fall. Breastfeeding is known to protect against cot death, respiratory infections (including ear infections and glue ear), asthma and eczema and is also linked to higher IQ. It should also be born in mind that PCBs are also found in milk and are almost certainly present in formula milks although no figures are available. Read Breast-feeding not dangerous, says health chief, Pollutants affect babies' brains, Friends of the Earth: PCBs and Dioxins in cod liver oil, Institute of Food Science & Technology: Dioxins and PCBs in Food and our section on breastfeeding. To read the article in the Lancet, register at THE LANCET - Registration and search for PCBs. On balance breastfeeding still has advantages but we really need to know which foods are found to contain high levels of PCBs, especially as we are advised to eat oily fish during pregnancy to prevent premature delivery and as adults to decrease heart disease. Read Food Standards Agency - How do they get into our diet? and Food Standards Agency - Don't change diet to avoid dioxins. WORLD ASTHMA DAY Tuesday 7th May is World Asthma Day and the National Asthma Campaign has released shocking figures showing that one in five UK children are diagnosed with asthma at some point during their childhood and one in eight is currently being treated for asthma. They also found that UK children of 13 to 14 years have the highest rates of wheezing compared to other countries. Interestingly, rates of asthma do not seem to be associated with pollution levels, with countries such as Australia and New Zealand having high rates of asthma and polluted countries like Hong Kong having lower rates. It has been suggested that the difference is due to genetics, with people of English-speaking stock having a higher genetic susceptibility to wheezing but this could be related to under diagnosis of asthma in some countries. We have a full article on the diagnosis, management and treatment of asthma with links to support groups. This week’s British Medical Journal says that 90% of asthma sufferers have developed the disease by the age of six years and that ‘asthma is the most commonly identified chronic childhood condition in Britain’. See the article. There is a new online paediatric journal with all the latest research on asthma from America and the UK – it is currently being offered free online at Paediatric Asthma - a virtual journal. Also read Experts Unveil First ‘Blueprint for Action’ For Childhood Asthma from the American Academy of Paediatrics. The National Asthma Campaign has a Junior Asthma Club - Kids' Zone and you can e-mail an asthma nurse this week. Read News Analysis: Asthma in British youngsters found to be worst in the world in the Independent. SKIN CANCER FROM THE BRITISH SUN? As summer approaches Cancer Research UK has issued a warning about the dangers of getting sunburnt by the UK sun. Cases of malignant melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer developing in a mole) have increased by 12% in six years in British men. They advise never letting your skin burn and taking particular care of children’s and babies’ delicate skin. Signs that a mole is turning malignant are if it becomes red or itchy, if it oozes or bleeds, if it changes shape or size (becoming smaller, paler or disappearing are also dangerous signs), if it has ragged edges or if it contains areas of different colours or becomes thicker or raised above the skin. A recent survey also found that people are more likely to become sunburnt in the UK than abroad – the biggest risk for developing skin cancer. Read our section on sunburn and see Cancer Research UK: Home. ROACCUTANE FOLLOW UP Following the press given to the side effects of Roaccutane there have been a couple of letters to the Independent newspaper this week (not available online) saying how effective it can be and that it would be a shame to ban it because of occasional reactions. The user should definitely be monitored and made aware of the possible side effects. (See previous 'This Week in Health' reports from the weeks of 30 April, 19 March and 22 January.) Read Drug agency to relatives of acne patients. MOBILE ‘PHONES There have long been health concerns expressed about the radiation from mobile ‘phones and the possible link to brain cancer. There are reports out this week that radiation is increased if the ‘phone is used inside a car or a train as the metal casing keeps the radiation in. Read Mobiles on trains 'pose health risk' in the Independent. It is worrying for teenagers who will potentially use mobiles for a large part of their lives – at present we do not know enough but I would have thought it was safest to get children to only use mobiles for emergencies until long term studies are done. RAW BEEF AND TB Currently the biggest risk for catching TB is by inhaling infected air from someone with TB. It is commonly seen in the UK in families with close contact with countries with TB and in travellers. A report this week says that we may be at risk from gut TB by eating raw beef which is contaminated. They suggest that Steak Tartare may become a thing of the past. DROWNING This week’s British Medical Journal has several articles of interest to parents. The first is on drowning. In 1998 half a million people worldwide died from drowning, and in 26 of the world’s richest countries it is the leading cause of death in children. Infants are most likely to drown at home (in the bath), toddlers in water close to home (paddling pools, swimming pools and ponds) and older children in lakes and rivers away from home. Although the rates of drowning are falling, all parents should make sure that their children can swim – most children can learn the basics at three and swim independently at four years of age if properly taught. Children should also be properly supervised and educated and ponds and pools protected with fences that children cannot climb over. In South Africa where there are a lot of pools, ‘safe‘ fencing is described by law (it has no horizontal components) and if someone drowns in your pool you are liable even if they are trespassing on your land. The BMJ article also suggests that children with autistic spectrum disorders may be at increased risk of drowning. Read the paper on preventing drowning in the UK in the BMJ and This week in the BMJ. CONTROLLED CRYING Another report in this week’s BMJ shows that parents who are told how to use the ‘controlled crying’ technique had a 20% reduction in babies sleep problems. Read the paper on controlling sleep problems and This week in the BMJ. Read about developing good sleeping patterns in babies in our section on sleep in parenting. ELECTRICAL DANGER IN THE HOME The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has released a warning that thousands of children are being left alone at home playing with potentially dangerous electrical equipment. A study by Currys showed that 36% of parents allowed children under 10 to use a toaster or kettle unsupervised. Only 18% of parents had warned their children about the danger of electrical sockets and 73% didn’t have child-proof socket covers. See the RoSPA site.
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