The very nature of cot death hinders any search for a solution. It kills quickly and quietly, with no apparent symptoms. But the CUHK work can now help put parents and doctors on alert. In those families that have already lost a child to SIDS, the ability to identify the mutated gene means subsequent pregnancies can be monitored. The disease can be ruled out, or if the fetus has a problem, a therapeutic abortion can be carried out.
Genetic testing can show whether the parents and extended family have the faulty gene.
The incidence of cot death in Hong Kong is lower than in the U.S. or Britain, because Chinese babies are traditionally put to sleep on their back, a position believed to greatly reduce the danger. The rate rose as high as seven per 1,000 in the mid-1980s. At that time Britain's figure stood at 2 per 1,000 and the U.S.'s at 1.5. But even one family not knowing why their baby has died is one too many, says Nelson. Then don't - because you will only make things more difficult for yourself.