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Nearly 150 malformed babies are born each year in France. Bruce Forster / Getty Images
Eleven new suspected cases of babies born malformed between 2000 and 2014 have been listed in Ain, announced Tuesday, October 30 the agency Public Health France. This discovery brings to 18 the number of suspected cases. The Ministry of Health decided to open an investigation to try to explain these malformations.
The case was made public this summer when the register of malformations in Rhône-Alpes revealed that several babies were born without arms or forearms in the department of Ain (east). This then only involved seven births between 2009 and 2014.
The case is publicized after a survey of the daily newspaper Le Monde and France 2. The agency Public Health France (SPF) is then seized. It reports in early October that the number of cases in Ain is not statistically higher than the national average.
However, the register of malformations in Rhône-Alpes contradicts these conclusions. He said the seven reported cases were identified within a 17-kilometer radius around the village of Druillat. They are therefore qualified as suspects because they all occur in a very small area.
150 births of " armless " babies per year
Every year, nearly 150 babies are born malformed. These cases are not listed, it is only an estimate. In France, six registers are responsible for identifying and collecting information on cases of birth defects. It is also that of Rhône-Alpes which gave the alert.
During pregnancy, the fetus knows what is called "a defect of vascularization of the limb". Blood vessels are not irrigated. The normal growth of the arm is therefore impacted, it does not grow. Of the 18 suspected cases identified, we do not know the reasons that caused this problem.
In its report, SPF writes that it has found no common cause for these malformations. Certain foods, drugs, alcohol, tobacco or toxic substances found in the environment have an impact on the fetus and its development. It remains to be seen whether they are the ones who are really involved in this case.
The pesticides mentioned
The Minister of Health says she does not want to close any leads. Agnès Buzyn thus evokes a possible environmental cause, but one is also interested in what women ate or breathed when they were pregnant.
Some elected environmentalists argue that pesticides are the cause of these malformations. For now, no scientific study confirms this statement. Dr. François Bourdillon, Director of Public Health France, hopes that there is more interest in the possible impact of pesticides on pregnant women.
An investigation has been launched nationwide to see if there are other cases and to know the reasons for these malformations. Its results are expected in three months, said François Bourdillon.
With regard to the department of Ain, SPF and ANSES (the Health Security Agency) were responsible for investigating the identified cases, returning to see mothers, families and trying to identify points common. But the task promises to be tough, warns Agnès Buzyn, especially since some births go back more than ten years. The results of this local survey should be made public on January 31st.
[#BebesSansBras] @santeprevention and @Anses_fr will conduct a study to look for common causes for these malformation cases.
The first part of this work will be available in January2019 and all before June 2019 @BFMTV @RMCinfo #BourdinDirect