Disease

Sudden infant death syndrome

SERVICE(S): Paediatrics (children’s medicine)

SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of a young child (<1 year) who was apparently healthy and in whom no physical abnormality could be found that might explain the death.

Thanks to preventive measures, the number of cases has fallen sharply in recent years. This preventive advice applies wherever the child stays: at home, with family, on holiday, in childcare. By applying it strictly, the chance of SIDS is much lower.

Unfortunately, not all deaths can be prevented by these preventive measures and a number of children still die of SIDS each year, although their parents or childcare facilities took the measures seriously. The exact cause of SIDS is, after all, unknown.