Latest news with #FrankVandenbroucke
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Belgium says 52 babies born from sperm donor with cancer-linked gene
A sperm is shown as it fertilizes an egg, leading to reproduction in the human body. (Sashkin/ Brussels, Belgium — A Danish sperm donor with a potentially cancer-causing gene fathered 52 children in Belgium between 2008 and 2017, the country's health ministry revealed Friday, in a case potentially involving several other children across Europe. According to a recent investigation by The Guardian, at least 10 cases of cancer have been identified among the 67 children born from his donations between 2008 and 2017. The man was reportedly in good health with no known family history of cancer, and had been tested in line with regulations in place at the time of the donations. But he was later found to carry a mutation of the TP53 gene that causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare hereditary disorder that significantly increases cancer risks, including for breast cancer or leukaemia. An alert was issued in 2023 after cancers were identified in some children conceived from his donations at a clinic in Denmark, and Belgium's Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products was notified that year. But Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has said he learned about the case on Monday, and the government has declined to say how many Belgian cases involve confirmed cancer diagnoses. The scandal has exposed apparent breaches of Belgian law, which since 2007 has limited a single donor's sperm to no more than six women. 'That rule was exceeded nationally and within individual centres,' the health ministry said. An internal review has identified 37 affected families in Belgium, leading to 52 births. Authorities noted that not all children necessarily reside in Belgium. The donor's sperm was also reportedly used in at least nine other countries - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Belgium says 52 babies born from sperm donor with cancer-linked gene
At least 10 cases of cancer have reportedly been identified among the 67 children born from a Danish man's sperm donations between 2008 and 2017. PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO BRUSSELS - A Danish sperm donor with a potentially cancer-causing gene fathered 52 children in Belgium between 2008 and 2017, the country's health ministry revealed on May 30, in a case potentially involving several other children across Europe. According to a recent investigation by The Guardian, at least 10 cases of cancer have been identified among the 67 children born from his donations between 2008 and 2017. The man was reportedly in good health with no known family history of cancer, and had been tested in line with regulations in place at the time of the donations. But he was later found to carry a mutation of the TP53 gene that causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare hereditary disorder that significantly increases cancer risks, including for breast cancer or leukaemia. An alert was issued in 2023 after cancers were identified in some children conceived from his donations at a clinic in Denmark, and Belgium's Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products was notified that year. But Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has said he learned about the case on May 26, and the government has declined to say how many Belgian cases involve confirmed cancer diagnoses. The scandal has exposed apparent breaches of Belgian law, which since 2007 has limited a single donor's sperm to no more than six women. 'That rule was exceeded nationally and within individual centres,' the health ministry said. An internal review has identified 37 affected families in Belgium, leading to 52 births. Authorities noted that not all children necessarily reside in Belgium. The donor's sperm was also reportedly used in at least nine other countries – Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Euronews
01-04-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Belgium bans display of tobacco products in shops
ADVERTISEMENT A new law implemented in Belgium on Tuesday prevents cigarettes or any tobacco products from being put on display in shops. Supermarkets and other shops bigger than 400 square meters are also now forbidden to sell cigarettes altogether. The measures are intended to limit the visibility of cigarettes and other addictive products, with the hope of curbing impulse purchases, and together form part of a plan to eliminate tobacco use altogether. Under the supervision of Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, the policy programme began on 1 January with a ban on disposable e-cigarettes. "Our ambition is to have a smoke free generation by 2040," explained Vandenbroucke, who denies that a full-blown cigarette ban is on the cards. "From now on, it is illegal to have cigarettes or vapes on display, that is visible, in a store. It is not a prohibition on buying this stuff. You can buy it, but you have to ask the vendor", he said. Shops prepare to adjust No specific guidance or material on how to handle tobacco products from now on has been provided to retailers. Each shop has had to find its own solution to the display ban, from handmade plastic curtains to sophisticated shelves that automatically light up when opened. "It is annoying because they (the government) haven't given us any supply," said news and tobacco shop owner Jenny Van Vaerenbergh. "They should have provided the necessary equipment." Malak Chatouany, a student in Brussels and a smoker herself, said that just hiding a product won't change people's habits. "We are talking about addictions," she said, "and people won't stop all of a sudden only because it is no longer on display in shops." But others welcome the measure as a tool to prevent young Belgians from taking up smoking in the first place. Related Tobacco advert and sponsorship bans significantly lower odds of people smoking, study shows Smoking a single cigarette can decrease your life expectancy by 20 minutes "I think that it is a good measure because I would not like my child to start smoking, because quitting smoking is really difficult," said Emilie Fayt, another smoker. The next phase of the plan, a ban on smoking in public terraces, is yet to be approved by Belgian legislators.
