Irish Examiner view: A step forward for women’s health

Known scientifically as hyperemesis gravidarum, morning sickness can result in vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss, all of which are dangerous at any time, but particularly so during pregnancy.

A welcome breakthrough in the treatment of morning sickness in pregnant women was announced this week by a research team which includes a prominent Irish scientist.

Stephen O’Rahilly, director of the Medical Research Council metabolic diseases unit at the University of Cambridge, said at the announcement: “Most women who become pregnant will experience nausea and sickness at some point, and while this is not pleasant, for some women it can be much worse — they’ll become so sick they require treatment and even hospitalisation.

“We now know why: The baby growing in the womb is producing a hormone at levels the mother is not used to.”

This is a succinct explanation, easily accessible to the lay reader, but the straightforward description hardly does justice to what is often a debilitating effect of pregnancy. Known scientifically as hyperemesis gravidarum, morning sickness can result in vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss, all of which are dangerous at any time, but particularly so during pregnancy. Treatments include anti-sickness medicines and steroids, but some women may require hospitalisation and intravenous fluids.

In and of itself the breakthrough in isolating the specific cause of morning sickness is significant, as identifying that cause makes finding a targeted treatment more likely. In time, this week’s announcement may be seen as the beginning of the end for morning sickness.

There is also the wider context of women’s illnesses being treated more seriously. Researching morning sickness so thoroughly and widely — scientists from the UK, US, and Sri Lanka were involved in conducting the research — is indicative of an attitude change in medicine which is long overdue. It has been widely acknowledged for years that a range of women’s illnesses have not been treated seriously by some medical professionals. For instance, one study in the Journal of Women’s Health stated that middle-aged women with chest pains were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than their male counterparts.

On that basis the breakthrough on morning sickness is encouraging news in treatment of a host of other illnesses also.

Workers deserve to feel safe in the city

After the recent riots in Dublin, there was a good deal of discussion about whether or not the gardaí had lost control of the streets during that disturbance, with opinion divided on the matter.

In recent days a different perspective on law and order has emerged, with pointed testimony from retailers about the extent of shoplifting and petty crime in Ireland, particularly in smaller shops.

Petty crime may not do justice to the problems faced by shop owners, however. Retailers told a meeting of the Oireachtas trade committee this week about being assaulted by gangs of robbers and having weapons pulled on them. One owner of a Dublin city centre shop said he noted between five and 10 incidents of thieving in his shop each day, and told how he was assaulted recently when challenging thieves stealing alcohol from his shop.

As if this was not worrying enough, the Dublin shop owner said he had contacted a Garda station 300 yards away — via his shop’s panic button — but it had taken eight minutes for gardaí to respond.

The staffing problems faced by An Garda Síochána are well known. But the fact that gangs of youths feel entitled to steal from shops and intimidate staff, without fear of arrest or punishment, is deeply unsettling.

The riots which took place in Dublin last month were disturbing to witness, but they can reasonably be described as exceptional. Clearly, small corner shops and groceries being ransacked by thieves is a far more common occurrence.

If ordinary citizens feel unsafe going to shops for household essentials in the middle of the day, then it is a troubling development on many levels — it reduces social interaction, allows criminals free rein, and robs people of their livelihood.

Retail sector representatives are seeking greater legislative protection to combat this crime wave. They are certainly entitled to the full protection of the State to live and work without fear.

Funding debate

News broke yesterday around lunchtime that Limerick GAA honorary president and long-time sponsor JP McManus, his wife Noreen, and their family, are to donate €1m in support of Gaelic games in each county: The money is to be divided equally between clubs in the GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football Association, and Camogie Association.

It is not the first time McManus has dipped into his pockets to support sport. In 2018 he donated €100,000 to all 32 counties, in 2004 he gifted €5m to the Limerick County Board to ease their Gaelic Grounds development debt, and he funded Limerick’s six-storey International Rugby Experience, which cost €30m. There can be no doubting the depth of the Limerick native’s commitment to the causes near his heart.

Within seconds of the donation becoming public, a lively commentary sprang up on the matter, with a range of opinions expressed, from Gaelic games adherents loud in their praise of McManus’s donation to sceptics raising the matter of his tax status in Ireland.

Is it possible McManus has given a gift to the entire nation which may outstrip his present to the GAA? The pros and cons of his donation will seed many a discussion from now through Christmas, in cars, homes, offices, and hostelries the length and breadth of the country. It may not be worth €1m to each county, but providing the material for a thousand different debates is still a valuable present.

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