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Continued from page 20 – HPV – The First Cancer Vaccine• Poor reasoning and judgment skills, lack ofimagination or curiosity and poor problem solvingskills.• Sleep and sucking problems as a baby• Vision or hearing problems• Behavioural problems, including hyperactivity,inability to concentrate, social withdrawal,stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety.• Problems with the heart, kidney or bone.• A small head size, shorter-than-average height and/orlow body weightWhy alcohol affects your babyWhen a pregnant women drinks alcohol, her unborn babydoes too. “Alcohol in mother’s blood passes through theplacenta to the baby through the umbilical cord so thebaby can’t miss it,” explains Dr Karuhanga. FoetalAlcohol spectrum disorders are lifelong disordersmeaning they can’t be cured even though earlyintervention can aid child’s development.But FASD are 100 per cent preventable; if a womandoesn’t take alcohol during pregnancy, or even when shemight get pregnant. After all, about 38 per centpregnancies in Uganda alone are unplanned thereforemost women will not know for several weeks when theyare pregnant.Even for a woman already drinking alcohol duringpregnancy, it is never too late to stop “The sooner awoman stops drinking, the better is will be for both herbaby and herself,” encourages the doctor. The thought ofall that could go wrong with your baby should be enoughmotivation for you to stay away from the bottle.☻☻☻☻☻☻Alcohol Consumption Set toRuin the Pearl of AfricaBy John KakaLetters to the EditorAugust 20, 2009Allow me share my concern with your papers’ esteemedreaders recently, I listened in utter amazement to the headof Butabika Referral Hospital. He said more than 10 percent of the patients received at the hospital have alcohol –related-ailments.As you may recall, Uganda was in the recent past, ranked-23- Traditional African Clinic December 2009the number one nation of drunkards in the world.Indeed, this ranking leaves this country in a veryprecarious position. As if that is not enough, local beerbrewers were granted a favourable tax regime in thecurrent Budget. Still, we all seem to be unbothered.Visit any shop, for instance, and see the cheap 10mlpacks of ‘waragi” some of which cost as little asShs.200.These days even school children take this ‘poison’because it is affordable and conveniently packed.Ugandans behave as if there is no licensed bar orstipulated drinking time. As early as 8 am some peopleare already drunk.In fact, there are some drinking joints that operate 24hours a day and seven days a week.My friend recently told me that even the so muchtalked about famine/food shortage in some parts of thecountry could be linked to ‘waragi” consumption. Insome areas of Uganda, men drink for 24 hours and it’sonly the women who toil for their family’s sustenance.Even the rising crime rate in the country can beassociated with alcoholism! Above all some drunkardshave no time for bathing or tidying themselves and mayeven attract jiggers in some cases. Surely, can’t ourleaders realize that the country is sinking?As a way forward, I propose the following:• Let there be designated hours for drinking• The weight and measures Act should be amendedto make it an offence to pack alcoholic drinks inpolythene materials or pack liquor in quantities lessthan 300 mls. This will make alcohol lessaffordable.• High taxes should be imposed on alcohol so as tomake it expensive.• Local government and other relevant bodies shouldenforce anti-drinking related laws.Otherwise, the Pearl of Africa will be no more!☻☻☻☻☻☻Alcohol Takes its Toll on YouthSarah ScheenstraDaily MonitorAugust 13, 2009In the past, Uganda has been ranked one of the highestconsumers of alcohol in the world by the World HealthOrganisation.Continued on page 26