South Africa has the highest reported rate of foetal alcohol syndrome. According to the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research, 6 million people in South Africa are irrevocably affected by having been exposed to alcohol in the womb.Studies undertaken by the foundation, which has gained world-wide recognition for its work, have shown that in parts of the Northern Cape the prevalence rate is as high as 18%. In Gauteng, it stands at about 2.7%.Once thought to affect mainly the children of farmworkers in the Western Cape, foetal alcohol spectrum disorders - of which the syndrome is the most severe - are on the rise in urban areas and among young, black mothers.A three-year research project undertaken by the foundation showed that 6.09% of children examined - almost seven in every 100 - had foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. In areas of Kimberley the figure went up to 11%.The Department of Health estimates the average prevalence in South Africa at 6%.The next-highest rate in the world is between 1% and 3% in the US and France. In Sweden, by comparison, the rate is 1.2%.Tomorrow is international Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day.Leana Olivier, chief executive of the research foundation, says that some people still believe that a woman must be an alcoholic to give birth to a child with foetal alcohol syndrome."The truth is, however, that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy," she says. All mothers who drink - not necessarily abuse - alcohol during pregnancy are at risk of producing a baby with abnormal signs and symptoms.Karen, 33, a mother of four from the Northern Cape, said she was a social drinker and had not known anything about foetal alcohol spectrum disorders or even the more publicised foetal alcohol syndrome.It is suspected that her first child, now 15, has the disorder. Her second child, 13, was diagnosed with the disorder when he was part of the foundation's study. When Karen found out that she was the cause of damage (including a heart problem) to her child she was "devastated, heartsore and depressed"."I have to take care of them as I have caused them to struggle like this," she said.Olivier said foetal alcohol syndrome was permanent mental disability that manifested in a range of defects. Apart from damage to the eyes, ears and heart, it might include brain damage, which results in lifelong problems such as learning disabilities; interpersonal relationship problems; and disabilities in the development of fine-motor control, coordination, and arithmetic and cause-and-effect reasoning."In addition, most of these children have attention and hyperactivity problems''.In an attempt to address alcohol abuse and the incidence of the syndrome, the departments of Health and Social Development are pushing for a ban on the advertising of alcohol. The Central Drug Authority will enforce alcohol-control legislation in an effort to reduce the incidence of the syndrome.The chairman of the authority, Mogotsi Kalaeamodimo, said: "South Africa had the highest reported incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome in the world."The syndrome is 30 to 50 times more common than Down's Syndrome and demands that strong action be taken. Foetal alcohol damage cannot be cured."Kalaeamodimo said the authority wanted large, meaningful and appropriate" health warnings on all alcohol products", which, with the other measures proposed in draft legislation, could reduce the demand for the addictive products.According to the research foundation, the burden of the disorder had far-reaching social and financial implications. In the US, it costs an estimated $6-billion a year and the average cost to treat a person with foetal alcohol syndrome for life is $1.4-million...