Drug addicted babies stun doctors!
Metronews.ca April 4, 2008

Physicians say numbers are rapidly increasing

Five percent of babies being born in Prince George (Canada) are drug addicted and the number is rapidly increasing, stunning local physicians.

In 2007, Prince George Regional Hospital found 43 drug addicted babies in the city and Dr. Marie Hay, vice-president of medical staff, said there has been a tenfold increase over the past decade.

According to Hay, 10 years ago four or five addicted babies were born a year but those numbers have risen into the forties and fifties.

There are also many babies that haven't been diagnosed and are unaccounted for because doctors aren't able to test newborns for drugs without the parent's consent. The newborns face many symptons including vomiting, sweating, crying and diarrhea. There are also many long-termeffects including kidney withdrawal, kidney failure, stoke and heart attack.

The provincial government recently allocated $10 million to deal with fetal alcohol syndrome, but there are few programs available to help pregnant and new mothers get of drugs (substance abuse.)