Shaken baby deaths 'accidental'

Shaking a baby can cause them serious harm

Greater public awareness of shaken baby syndrome could save the lives of many infants, say experts.

Delegates at the first European Conference on Shaken Babies, which starts in Edinburgh on Monday, will hear claims that most babies who die after being shaken are killed accidentally.

They will be told that a campaign to educate parents and carers about the risks could prevent many deaths.

There are no accurate figures on the number of infants who die in the UK as a result of being shaken.

Some doctors estimate the figure to be 100 each year. However, others believe the true toll is much higher. They say deaths due to shaking are not always noticed by medical staff.

Accidental deaths

Labour MEP Catherine Stihler will tell delegates that while some babies are deliberately shaken to death others die by accident.

Speaking ahead of the conference, she said: "Of course, there are deliberate shaken baby murders but we suspect that in many other cases babies are shaken to death by tired or frustrated parents and carers who don't know any better."

We need more public awareness and high profile information campaigns

Catherine Stihler

She is among those pressing for a national public awareness campaign to highlight the issue.

"People don't realise just how vulnerable babies are to shaking. We need more public awareness and high profile information campaigns," she said.

Ms Stihler suggested that the true extent of baby syndrome is unknown.

"We think that shaken baby syndrome is much more widespread than is currently recognised but the syndrome is little understood.

"Too often it is not recognised in hospitals and the death is not logged as being caused by shaking.

"Our concern is that the statistics grossly underestimate the scale of the problem."

Shaken baby syndrome is poorly researched, and there isn't a consensus among doctors

Rioch Edwards Brown

The two-day conference will hear presentations from leading doctors and child protection specialists from the UK and North America.

There is strong evidence to show that shaking a child or infant is dangerous. Infants, in particular, have large heads compared to their bodies.

Shaking them risks causing damage to their brains. In some cases, this can lead to death.

Speakers at the conference are expected to stress that even shaking a baby once is enough to cause serious damage.

Wrongly accused

Rioch Edwards Brown was wrongly accused

Rioch Edwards Brown was wrongly accused of shaking her baby son.

The child suffered bleeding on the brain following an epileptic fit aged six months.

Ms Edwards Brown was cleared after tests showed that trauma at birth, and not shaking, was responsible.

"Shaken baby syndrome is poorly researched, and there isn't a consensus among doctors," she said.

"There is no imaging tool that can differentiate between an accidental and non-accidential injury.

"You need to look at each case on its individual merits."

Ms Edwards Brown runs a support group for other parents who are wrongly accused of shaking their baby.

The group is campaigning for a standard protocol to be followed by doctors so that the risk of false accusations is minimised.

It says babies should be thoroughly assessed within 24 hours, and a battery of tests should be carried out with two weeks.

Dr David Chadwick, an expert on the syndrome from Salt Lake City, Utah, said: "There are a number of protocols that are available and used in hospitals in the UK.

"Unfortunately not every hospital that treats injured children has one.

"There ought to be a standard and process for doing the evaluation."