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Shaken Baby Syndrome - we can all stop it |
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Anonymous Author (September 2007) |
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A friend of mine in America lost her 21 month old daughter to SBS almost 12 months ago. She has thrown herself into making others aware just how easily it happens. This is an article she has just had published (and yes I do have her permission to put it
on minti). The statistics are from America, but it still gives you an idea just how bad it is no matter where you live.
SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME
By simplest definition, Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is child abuse involving the shaking of a baby, but clinically it is a form of Abusive Head Trauma that causes bleeding over the surface of the brain, swelling of the brain, bleeding at the back of the eyes and other injuries not seen together in any other disease or medical condition.
SBS is a form of child abuse and is often ruled homicide or murder if the child dies. It is also a unique, identifiable combination of injuries from a forceful, violent shaking.
It is not a form of punishment or neglect and is not found among the effects of any other form of child abuse or accidental trauma, a pre-existing medical condition or disease, it's not always seen with visible bruises, nor caused by car accidents, falls, tossing in the air or rough play or caused by birth, CPR or genetic disorders.
Children are susceptible to shaking because they have a variety of vulnerabilities including a heavy head, weak neck muscles, more space inside their skull, delicate veins and the fact that their brains are still developing.
SBS accounts for more than 50 percent of non-accidental injuries to children. It is also estimated that between 1,400 and 10,000 cases of Shaken Baby Syndrome are reported each year in the US alone. Recent studies also indicate for every diagnosed case of SBS, there may be an additional 152 unreported cases.
SBS is not just a matter of abuse, but one of life and death as one in four children who are shaken die because of the injuries they sustain. The remaining 75 percent can suffer severe brain damage.
Most of the children who are shaken are less than a year old, according to statistics, with boys more likely to be shaken than girls. Twins also have a higher chance of being shaken than single children.
Statistics also show that most shakers are male with the majority being the child's biological father or the mother's boyfriend.
Shelley
