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City Council approves Edwards Syndrome Awareness Day – Trisomy 18 The date will now be included in the Official Calendar of the Municipality, which will dedicate May 6 to educational actions on the theme From mourning to fighting. This was the feeling that led the mother of little Clarice, dentist Flávia Silva, 35 years old, to seek the City Council of Ipatinga, through councilor Antônio Alves de Oliveira (Tunico), to sign a bill that was approved on the afternoon of this Tuesday (12). This is Bill No. 13/20, approved unanimously and defended by the author, which guarantees the inclusion of Edwards Syndrome Awareness Day, also known as Trisomy 18, in the Official Calendar of the Municipality of Ipatinga. For Flávia, the date will be marked as an annual day in which the syndrome is debated and disseminated, and, above all, health professionals who work directly with pregnant women and women in labor know how to welcome mothers who are carrying a baby with Trisomy 18. “Several situations contribute to this mother’s pain. There are obstetricians who wait for signs of natural labor so that this child can be born at the right time, because normally the baby cannot wait until the 42nd week of life. This newborn will need a neonatal ICU, and the team needs to already consider this possibility, among other issues,” said Flávia. Trisomy 18 is a rare syndrome that affects one in every 8,000 pregnant women, and is diagnosed when the baby is still in the womb, around the 14th week of gestation. “In Brazil, we have an organization that supports the cause and we have worked to pass laws in many Brazilian cities, and in Ipatinga, we will fight for the Health Department to develop educational and support actions for those involved,” said the dentist. She made a point of emphasizing that these mothers’ fight concerns the right to get pregnant and have their baby, and never to terminate a pregnancy. “There are teenagers with Trisomy in Brazil. We have a 3-year-old child in the Betânia neighborhood, and we have many reasons to defend the lives of our children, starting with a pregnancy based on appropriate professional care, correct information, and prenatal care. And today, the Chamber takes an important step in the fight of these mothers who want to spread the word about the issue, so that, from there, the treatment of mother and child can improve,” said Flávia. Councilman Tunico, speaking at the Tribune, argued that the anomaly caused by the presence of an extra chromosome, which causes congenital malformations in babies, is a disease that should be addressed by the health network, “because the care minimizes the pain of a mother, when she is respected and understood in this sublime moment of gestating a life”. He made a point of emphasizing, however, that the lack of knowledge about the subject is the main cause of the lack of knowledge and the lack of correct approach to this “special mother” who is waiting for her baby, who will require extra care. Trisomy 18 – Considered a rare disease, Edwards Syndrome is a genetic disease that affects boys and girls, the latter having a longer survival rate. The presence of the fetal anomaly can be diagnosed through transvaginal ultrasound, between the 10th and 14th week of gestation. These malformations can affect the child's brain, heart, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. “Among malformations, cardiac malformation is the most common and the one that causes the most deaths in patients.” Service: May 6th is the day to raise awareness about Edwards syndrome, but the month of May is the reference month to work on the topic. Learn more on social media: @sindormedoamor and @trissomia18