As we approach the ninth day of the ninth month, several local groups are working together to bring awareness to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disability Day.
“It’s on that day so that we remember how important it is during the 9 months of pregnancy that woman are supported to abstain from alcohol in order to support a healthy baby,” says family support worker Nancy Shorter-Lowrie
The disorder affects nearly 300,000 Canadians.
“The Public Health Agency of Canada suggests 9 in 1,000 births are affected, and that’s a big change from before when they thought it was 1 in 1,000,” explains Shorter-Lowrie.
FAS World Canada estimates nearly 1% of North Americans suffer from a fetal alcohol disorder – about four times as many people as those with AIDS/HIV.
“Symptoms can include mild to severe disabilities, and these disabilities can be a mix of cognitive, thinking, or behavioural issue,” says Shorter-Lowrie, “They are caused by direct exposure to alcohol in the womb and they are called ‘primary disabilities’. They’re present from birth, are permanent, and they’re different for everybody.”
Shorter-Lowrie hopes to increase the public’s working knowledge of the disorder.
The South Fort George Family Resource Center is hosting PG’s FASD Awareness Day from 1 to 3pm this Wednesday.
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