Alarm in Germany over hand birth defects

Health officials have warned against panic after a pattern of anomalies appeared among newborns at a single Gelsenkirchen hospital.

Similar hand deformities were observed in three deliveries — over a 12-week period — at Saint Marien Hospital in the northerly suburb of Buer.

The hospital decribed the appearance of such similar defects in such a short space of time as “striking.” State health ministries across Germany are set to ask hospitals under their jusrisdiction whether similar birth defects have been observed.

Doctors say there were no “ethnic, cultural or social similarities” between the affected families other than that they all lived in the local area.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn criticized speculation. “I now read the wildest speculation, including radiation from mobile phones,” Spahn said. “We should only draw conclusions once we actually know something.”

 

Via DW

Discover more from The Dispatch

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Verified by MonsterInsights