Wexford, Kerry, and Limerick are among the counties that have identified newborns who were exposed to alcohol or drugs in the womb.
HSE data from 2014 to 2023 shows almost one thousand babies were discharged from hospitals with these substances in their systems. However, the HSE estimates that around 600 Irish babies are born each year with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. Almost one thousand babies with alcohol or drugs in their systems were discharged from Irish hospitals from 2014 to 2023, according to HSE data. Figures in the Independent show eight cases of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome were diagnosed in Tipperary in 2018, and the same number in Wexford in 2013. FASD Ireland says, no amount of alcohol is safe to drink by either parent in the six weeks before conception or at any time during pregnancy.