Sally Clark: Data on cot death

Sally Clark 1964-2007

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Sally Clark

Data

In 2000, 3,399 babies died before their first birthday, a rate of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate was 5.8 per 1,000 in 1999.

In 2000, there were 243 `sudden infant deaths', a rate of 0.40 per 1,000 live births. The rate was 0.45 per 1,000 live births in 1999.

CESDI carried out the largest single study of cot deaths ever undertaken worldwide (published Feb 2000); studied 460,000 births over 3 years in 3 different areas of UK. This government-sponsored study recorded 323 cot deaths of which 5 were second cot deaths in the same family, a ratio of 1:64.

The possible causes of cot death include genetic and environmental influences. In the case of Sally Clark's children Christopher and Harry, vaccination seems to be suspiciously associated with their deaths. For further information about vaccination-related law suits in the USA, see this article.

This page notes other variables known to be correlated with cot death.

Genetically inherited conditions

It is highly likely that there are genetically inherited conditions that make children more likely to die young.

Mitochondrial mutation

One example is a mitochondrial mutation, such that, if the mother has the mutation, there is a roughly one-in-three chance of the child's dying. [Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother only.]
Reference: Population genetics and disease susceptibility: characterisation of central European haplogroups by mtDNA gene mutations, correlation with D loop variants and association with disease. by Sabine Hofmann et al, Human Molecular Genetics 1997 vol 6 No 11. pages 1835-1846

Genes affecting the brain

From Ananova:
Gene may be key to cot deaths cause
A gene which helps maintain the brain in good working order may hold the key to understanding the causes of cot death.
Scientists in Edinburgh are investigating the possibility infants become victims of the condition as their brains are less able to cope with unexpected environmental changes, such as minor infections or overheating.
Story from Ananova, 05:09 Thursday 2nd May 2002

Time of year

| postscript | gif | - These plots, kindly supplied by Jenny Mooney (jennym-at-maths.abdn.ac.uk), show the number of cot deaths per month in the UK. There are clear seasonal trends, which changed after 1991, when the government ran a campaign to reduce cot death incidence. In the abscence of the government campaign, the cot death frequency in the winter months was about twice that in the summer. [Both Christopher and Harry died in the winter.]

Infection by bacterium

from Compuserve news Thu Apr 25 2002 MILAN, Italy (AP) - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in which apparently healthy babies die inexplicably in their cribs, may be linked to infection with a common bacterium, preliminary research suggests.
Researchers told a conference on infectious diseases Thursday that a shock-producing byproduct of E. coli was found in the blood of all SIDS babies tested, but in none of the infants used as a comparison.
Experts not connected with the research said the toxic infection theory is plausible.

Vaccination

Viera Scheibner's article "Shaken Baby Syndrome Diagnosis on Shaky Ground" - published in the Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine Vol 20 No 2 August 2001. In a nutshell, `Vaccines kill babies'.
Some so called `shaken baby' deaths are attributed to vaccination.

Blockage of larynx

Elaine Morgan's theory suggests that sudden infant deaths are due to the blockage of the larynx by the uvula at that period of life, roughly at 3 to 6 months, when the larynx is descending. It is a part of the theory that after death, when the dead baby is moved, that the uvula slips out of the entrance to the larynx and thus no evidence remains to show what happened. Reference:
1. Elaine Morgan "The Scars of Evolution: What Our Bodies Tell Us About Human Origins" Souvenir Press 1990. Chapter 11 "Breathing"
2. Yahoo AAH (Aquatic Ape Hypothesis) Newsgroup.

Site last modified Wed Nov 7 10:45:29 GMT 2007