Monday 31 July 2017

Severe Weather Warning Issued For Perth Over Damaging Winds

Severe Weather Warning Issued For Perth Over Damaging Winds

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
for DAMAGING WINDS
A severe weather warning has been issued in Western Australia by the Bureau of Meteorology. 
People in Perth and surrounding areas should take care while out and about this morning.
Severe Weather Warning Issued For Perth Over Damaging Winds
For people in the Lower West, South West, South Coastal and parts of the Central West, Great Southern and Central Wheat Belt districts.
Issued at 4:17 am Monday, 31 July 2017.
Weather Situation:
A strong cold front will move through southwestern parts of the State during this morning and early afternoon. The front is expected to lie near the South West Capes about 7-8am this morning, reach the Perth Metropolition area about 10-11am and Albany between 11am and midday.
A period of thunderstorms and showers associated with the front may produce DAMAGING WINDS to 100 kilometers per hour that could cause DAMAGE TO HOMES AND PROPERTY.
In isolated areas DANGEROUS GUSTS in excess of 125 kilometres per hour are possible and could cause SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR DESTRUCTION TO HOMES AND PROPERTY.
Conditions will ease after the passage of the cold front though cold, squally showers with possible thunderstorms and small hail will continue over the area for the remainder of Monday.
Locations which may be affected include Albany, Bunbury, Katanning, Mandurah, Manjimup, Margaret River, Moora, Mount Barker, Narrogin, Northam and Perth metropolitian area. 
This is typical weather for this time of year but winds may cause damage to property and make conditions hazardous.  
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should: 
* If outside find safe shelter away from trees, power lines, storm water drains and streams. 
* Close your curtains and blinds, and stay inside away from windows. 
* Unplug electrical appliances and do not use land line telephones if there is lightning. 
* If boating, swimming or surfing leave the water. 
* Be alert and watch for hazards on the road such as fallen power lines and loose debris. 
* Keep away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways. 
* Be careful of fallen trees, damaged buildings and debris. 
* Be careful of fallen power lines. They are dangerous and should always be treated as live. 
* Assess your home, car and property for damage. 
* If damage has occurred take photos and contact your insurance company to organise permanent repairs. 
* If your home or property has significant damage, like a badly damaged roof or flooding, call the SES on 132 500. 

The next Severe Weather Warning will be issued by 11:00 am AWST Monday.
Warnings are also available through TV and Radio broadcasts, the Bureau's website at www.bom.gov.au or call 1300 659 213. The Bureau and Department of Fire and Emergency Services would appreciate warnings being broadcast regularly. 
Doctors push for all women to test for intellectual disability gene

Doctors push for all women to test for intellectual disability gene

A new study is backing the push to have women screened for common single gene disorder, Fragile X Syndrome, which is linked to a number of intellectual disabilities including autism.

Women who are pregnant or planning to have children could be offered screenings from their doctor for as little as $100.
Many women have never heard of fragile X syndrome, but doctors say they should be tested for FXS just as they would be for the likes of cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy.
Currently, Australian guidelines only recommend that women be checked for FXS when there is a family history or if the patient requests it.
A Murdoch Children’s Research Institute study found women did not suffer “psychological harm” when they were offered the test coupled with counselling, and is therefore leading the push to revamp current guidelines.
As part of the study more than 1100 women were surveyed. It found 71 percent of non-pregnant women and 59 percent of pregnant women chose to be screened for FXS if offered.
It is understood about one in 250 women carry the gene, and most do so unknowingly.
However, symptoms of FXS range from mild to severe, which currently makes a woman’s choice to terminate their pregnancy or not, extremely difficult and risky.
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Lead researcher Professor Sylvia Metcalfe said the results prove women are supportive of having the opportunity to be tested – via a simple saliva sample.
“Whatever decision someone makes on screening is entirely up to them and should be respected, but it is important they are given the information,” she said.
“We are just letting them down if women and couples aren’t even hearing about screening for FXS.”
She went on to explain that a staggering three quarters of women who took part in the study had never heard of FXS before.
Professor Metcalfe said raising awareness of the syndrome is vital as it can lead to anxiety, shyness, ADHD, autism, as well as learning and communication issues.
It is understood symptoms range from mild in girls to moderate and severe in boys.
But she says it’s important women are left to make their own choices and shouldn’t be forced into screenings.
“I think that irrespective of what the condition is, we really should be trying to allow people to make informed choices based on their own values and not stigmatising them,” she said.
Fragile X: Experts say all women should be offered screening for genetic condition

Fragile X: Experts say all women should be offered screening for genetic condition

All women aiming to have children should be offered testing for a syndrome that causes intellectual disabilities, the latest Australian research has shown.
Testing for Fragile X (FXS), an inherited genetic condition, is only currently available to women who have a family history of the syndrome.
But a study done by researchers at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of Melbourne has found that offering the test to all pregnant women or those planning a family is beneficial.
Sylvia Metcalfe, lead researcher from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, said one reason for that was due to the complexity of the condition.
The symptoms of the syndrome can vary from mild to severe and calculating the genetic risk can be complicated.
"[Another] one of the concerns is that it can potentially cause psychological harm by offering this test to women," she said.
About one in 250 women carry the gene that can cause Fragile X.

Researchers pushing for more women to be informed about FXS

The study began a few years ago, and involved 1,156 women who were recruited from obstetric and GP clinics, and included non-pregnant women and women up to 13 weeks pregnant.
"What we have done is provide evidence for recommendations that all women should be informed about this condition and should be offered the screening," Professor Metcalfe said.
"Our study has shown that there are minimal psychological harm if offered with appropriate information and support.
"And that although the preference is to offer carrier screening pre-conception, it can also be offered during pregnancy with minimal harm."
Many of the women in the study had never even heard of FXS before participating.
The symptoms vary, but the biggest concern is intellectual disability, which can range from mild in girls to moderate and severe in boys.
Symptoms can include anxiety and shyness, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic behaviours, and learning and communication difficulties.
And it has been estimated that up to 5 per cent of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder also have FXS.
Of the 1,156 women recruited for the study, 83.1 per cent returned the first questionnaire.
Then 70.6 per cent of the non-pregnant women and 58.8 per cent pf the pregnant women chose testing.
Overall the informed choice in both non-pregnant and pregnant participants was high, with more choosing to get tested than to not.

Expert thinks testing would give women more options

Professor Metcalfe said the test was also able to pick up other important health indicators for women.
"About 20 per cent of women who are carriers will have problems with fertility, about 20 per cent will develop premature menopause," she said.
So what are the options for women who find out they carry the gene before pregnancy?
Jonathan Cohen, medical director of Genetic Clinics Australia and the study's co-author, said doing the test before a woman was pregnant gave them options.
"They can still go down that path if they wish — they can get pregnant, get tested and terminate, or not terminate," Dr Cohen said.
"Or they can go through IVF PGD — which is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
"That's when an embryo is made, the embryo gets tested and only the unaffected embryo is implanted."

What is it like living with a child with FXS?

Kerry Moore's eldest son Oliver is now 15, but she said intellectually he was about five.
"So he's nearly a man with the mind of a child," she said.
"His speech is very affected, he only talks in two-to-three-word sentences.
"He has a lot of sensory issues and has a lot of anxiety."
Oliver was diagnosed with FXS when he was 12 months old.
"He wasn't meeting the normal milestones that they say your child should meet," Ms Moore said.
"He wasn't rolling, wasn't sitting, wasn't crawling, wasn't doing the pre-talk babble.
"So I thought 'something's not right here' and took him along to a developmental paediatrician."
A number of tests were run and Ms Moore said one of them "just happened to be Fragile X, and unbelievably it came back positive".
Ms Moore said before that moment, she had never heard of the syndrome.
For her third child Ms Moore said using the option of IVF brought her peace of mind.
"I can't recommend it enough. If you find out you're a carrier before you have children, then you're just presented with so many more options," she said.
"You never dream of a life for your child where they find it hard or they have limitations."