Smoking can put a baby at risk for serious illness, whether it's the expectant mom or a household member who's got the cigarette. According to a new study published in BMC Public Health, if the pregnant mother smokes, the baby's chance of developing meningitis is tripled. If the baby is exposed to passive household smoke postpartum, her chance of contracting the deadly disease doubles.
Researchers at University of Nottingham, UK wanted to look further at the cause of invasive meningococcal disease, a severe illness that can have devastating effects. If not treated quickly, it can be deadly or cause brain and nerve damage. It's commonly referred to as bacterial meningitis and is caused by an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include severe headache, rash, vomiting, high fever, and sensitivity to bright light.??
Eighteen previous studies were analyzed for a link between passive smoking and meningitis. The findings showed that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were three times more likely to contract meningitis; children under five who were exposed to second hand smoke in the home were two and a half times more likely to get meningitis. The researchers concluded that every year in the UK alone, 630 cases of childhood invasive meningococcal disease can be attributed to second hand smoke.
"While we cannot be sure exactly how tobacco smoke is affecting these children, the findings from this study highlight consistent evidence of the further harms of smoking around children and during pregnancy, and thus parents and family members should be encouraged to not smoke in the home or around children," lead researcher Rachael L. Murray said.
Do you have any experience with meningitis? Was there smoking in your household as a young child? Have you ever had to discourage people from smoking around your young children?
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