Liquor board highlights dangers of drinking while pregnant

The Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) will commemorate International Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Day on Thursday. 

Every year, on September 9, International FAS Awareness Day is observed in countries around the world, with bells rung at 9.09am in every time zone.

The ECLB will be stationed at five clinics, five schools, five taverns, two taxi ranks and four malls in Gqeberha on Wednesday and Thursday. 

The commemoration is being organised in partnership with stakeholders like the SA Police Service, Eastern Cape health department, crime prevention forums, local education and NGOs under the banner: “Protect your unborn baby, do not drink during pregnancy.”

The board’s spokesperson, Mgwebi Msiya, said SA had the highest reported FAS prevalence rates in the world, ranging from 26 per 1,000 (2,6%) in Gauteng to 282 per 1,000 (28,2%) in the Northern Cape. 

“Babies whose mothers drank alcohol during their pregnancy can be born with birth defects and developmental disabilities,” he said.

“The problems that can happen when babies are exposed to alcohol are grouped together and called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), which includes a wide range of physical, behavioural and learning problems.” 

Msiya said FAS was 100% irreversible, but it was also 100% preventable.

“In commemorating International FAS Day, the board is embarking on rigorous campaigns in Gqeberha, which are used as platforms to educate women and communities about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which may result in FAS and diseases associated with alcohol abuse,” he said. 

HeraldLIVE