Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Sep 16/05) - As Sept. 9 marked Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day, the Inuvik Interagency Committee (IIC) employed a very visible public relations campaign to drive home the message about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.

Inuvik Interagency Committee co-ordinator Yoenne Ewald with one of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder coasters that were distributed to local watering holes along with posters reminding people of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.

"Bars were pretty co-operative," said IIC co-ordinator Yoenne Ewald, catalyst for the campaign. "By and large people know pregnant women shouldn't drink, but it still happens."

And when it does, the results can be devastating, leaving newborns facing a lifetime of hardships.

It is estimated that in Canada, nine in every 1,000 children suffer some degree of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). In the Northwest Territories, this number is thought to be even higher, as 25 per cent of NWT women report drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

FASD is the leading cause of preventable birth defects.

Fewer than 10 per cent of individuals with FASD are able to achieve success in living and working independently.

The cost to society over the lifetime of a person with FASD could run as high as $1.5 million, depending on the severity of the disorder.

According to Ewald, the IIC will soon be working with the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Inuvialuit Regional Corp. to further educate regional professionals about FASD and addictions.