UK: Birth defects biggest killer of children in district

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[S]eeing it as a question of whether relatives should marry each other was "too bold a brush" to use, but that work should be concentrated among those families at greatest risk of passing down genetic anomalies. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Telegraph & Argus
By Telegraph & Argus | September 7, 2014

[Excerpts]

THE sheer scale of Bradford's birth defect problem has been laid bare in a new report on child deaths.

The report shows that two in every five child deaths in the district are caused by genetic anomalies - the most common cause of death among under-18s.

And further analysis suggests around a third of these deaths involve parents who are related to each other and carry the same faulty gene.

Councillor Ralph Berry, executive member for children's services at Bradford Council, said each death of a child was "a great loss" for the family affected and the figures had to be brought down.

And others have called for more open debate on an issue which can be seen as taboo.
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Dr Mohammed Iqbal, chairman of the of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in Bradford, said efforts to raise awareness among South Asian communities had started, but there was more to be done.

He said seeing it as a question of whether relatives should marry each other was "too bold a brush" to use, but that work should be concentrated among those families at greatest risk of passing down genetic anomalies.

Dr Iqbal said in particular he wanted to see people given more information about the types of testing available.

He said: "Maybe this could be targeted through GP surgeries or maybe through mosques or schools. Those are the three areas which we can do a lot more about."

And he praised the "high level of maturity and respect" there had been in the debate over the issue in Bradford.




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