Study ranked Ireland third highest for prevalence rates of FAS, at 89,7 per 10,000Ireland has one of the highest prevalence rates of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) worldwide as a result of women drinking during pregnancy, a new study has revealed. The research, which is published in The Lancet Global Health (doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X (17) 30021-9), also ranked Ireland among the top five countries with the highest alcohol use in pregnancy in Europe; the others being Russia, the UK, Denmark and Belarus. As a region, Europe also had a 2.6 higher prevalence of FAS than the global average. The study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada ranked Ireland as one of the top five (out of 180) countries with the highest prevalence rates of FAS, at 89.7 per 10,000 people — the third highest rate. “The safest thing to do is to completely abstain from alcohol during the entire pregnancy,” added Dr Popova.