asked the Minister for Health the number of cot deaths in this country over the past three years; and if there is any research currently being carried out into the cause of such deaths.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cot Deaths.
26.
Deaths are coded for statistical purposes according to the World Health Organisation's international classification of diseases. At present there is no provision in this international classification for recording cot deaths as such. Consequently it is not possible to state exactly how many cot deaths there are in any given year. However, the number of deaths to infants aged under one year, for which no obvious cause of death was available, was 75 in 1974, or just over 6 per cent of all infant deaths for that year. Similar figures for previous years are not readily available.
While I am not aware of any current research on this matter in Ireland, some research has been carried out in other countries. More general research is, however, hampered by the absence of accurate recording of the number of cot deaths. This position is being rectified. In a recent revision of the international classification of diseases provision has been made for recording "sudden death of nonspecific cause in infancy". This revision will not, however, become operative until 1st January, 1979.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of an American organisation called SID—Sudden Infant Deaths—that has done quite an amount of research on the cause of cot deaths and has compiled a considerable amount of data? Would the Parliamentary Secretary consider getting a report from this organisation?
I can assure the Deputy that my Department have been in touch with the organisation he refers to.