Passive smoking 'raises disease risk for babies'

The next time you light a fag at home, be a little cautious, for a new study has revealed that parents who smoke near their babies could be putting them at risk of developing infectious diseases.

Researchers at Hong Kong University have found that youngsters exposed to passive smoking in the first six months of life are 45 per cent more likely to need hospital treatment for an infectious disease by the age of eight.

According to them, passive smoking weakens babies immune systems and cause respiratory problems.

"An excess risk of severe morbidity from both respiratory and other infections for all infants exposed to second-hand smoke suggests that such exposure, as well as acting via direct contact with the respiratory tract, may also affect the immune system," the researchers added.

They came to the conclusion after looking at 7,402 children born in Hong Kong in 1997 who were studied until they were eight, leading British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported today.

Children with a low birth weight exposed to tobacco smoke were 75 per cent more likely to need hospital treatment for ailments such as meningococcal disease and respiratory illnesses by the age of eight while premature babies were twice as likely, the researchers found. I

In addition, the study revealed that one in three children who had someone smoking within three yards of them during their early months ended up in hospital.The results of the study have been published on the Tobacco Control portal.