Sprott Launches Campaign Against Australian Red Nose Day
"SIDS Australia have no right to keep quiet about the success of mattress-wrapping and at the same time ask Australians
to donate more money"
Cot death researcher Dr Jim Sprott is taking his campaign against funding for cot death research to Australia. Dr
Sprott has announced that he plans a publicity campaign informing Australians of the 100% success of mattress-wrapping
for cot death prevention. He will be advising Australians not to donate to Red Nose Day on 30 June 2000.
Since late 1994 Dr Sprott has conducted a nationwide cot death prevention campaign in New Zealand based on the toxic gas
theory for cot death. Parents have been advised to wrap mattresses in accordance with a strict protocol and to avoid
using certain items of baby bedding.
Mattress-wrapping is the only new item of cot death prevention advice publicised in New Zealand since 1994. Since
mattress-wrapping commenced the New Zealand cot death rate has fallen by 48%.* There has been no reported cot death
among the many tens of thousands of babies who have slept on wrapped mattresses.
"SIDS Australia have all this information," said Dr Sprott "but they aren't telling Australian parents. I regard it as
unconscionable for SIDS Australia to withhold information on the 100% success of mattress-wrapping, and at the same time
ask the public for more money. As a publicly funded body, they have a clear duty to put all relevant information before
the public - but they are failing to do so."
During the 1990s Dr Sprott conducted a highly publicised campaign against the annual New Zealand Red Nose Day appeal.
That appeal has now been permanently abandoned in New Zealand.
"I am confident that Red Nose Day will not survive in Australia either," said Dr Sprott. "When Australians learn about
the 100% success of mattress-wrapping, they will realise that money donated for cot death research is money down the
drain."
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* Official NZ statistics to latest available date: 1994 cot death rate: 2.1 deaths/1000 live births 1998 cot death
rate: 1.1 deaths/1000 live births