Last spring, The duty revealed that the Coroner’s Office, after being alerted by the Nunavik police, was investigating the deaths of 12 infants that occurred in obscure or unexplained circumstances. Coroner Geneviève Thériault concluded in a final report that 10 of these deaths were classified in the category “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”. It is also the very first time that the Coroner’s Office has recommended that the government build housing in Nunavik to remedy this “worrying situation”.
Baby Jaylen was three months old when he was found unconscious in a double bed on the floor in the spring of 2021. His story is almost identical to that of the nine other infants who died in the same year , analyzed by coroner Geneviève Thériault in recent months.
The baby had been lying on his back, his head resting on a thin pillow, says Me Thériault in his report. “One of the adults slept in the same bed […] A second adult may have slept in the bed between the first adult and Jaylen, ”she says, raising the hypothesis of possible asphyxiation by suffocation. “According to one version, the second adult would have found Jaylen inert far from the first adult when entering the room. According to another version, when waking up, the first adult would have found the child inert under the arm of the second adult who had lain down in the bed near the child, and once awake, this second adult would have either covered the child of his body would have hugged the little one against him. »
Despite resuscitation attempts by paramedics, Jaylen never came back to life.
According to the Nunavik Public Health Department, four to nine children die each year in Nunavik. One-third of these deaths are categorized as “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome” (SIDS). In 2021, ten infants lost their lives in this way, a sad record, according to the compilation of the To have to. SIDS is defined as the sudden death of a child under one year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation. It usually occurs during sleep, and most often between two and four months of age. While we don’t know the causes of SIDS, we know the risk factors.
“I was able to see that smoking during pregnancy, exposure to second-hand smoke, unsafe sleeping environment and non-breastfeeding remain present in Nunavik”, indicates coroner Geneviève Thériault, before adding: “It seems urgent to me to ensure that each family has access to healthy housing of an appropriate size for the size of the household. This would allow the practice of safe sleep, the reduction of exposure to second-hand smoke, the prevention of infections, the safety and development of young children as well as the safety and mental health of mothers. »
Me Thériault also recommends that the Secretariat of Native Affairs “invest the necessary resources in order to rapidly increase the supply of safe and affordable social housing for Nunavik families”.
The construction of housing in Nunavik could solve several public health problems, including child deaths.
In Nunavik, 60% of children under six grow up in overcrowded homes. This territory has nearly 13,000 inhabitants, 97% of whom live in social housing. In November 2021, 1184 households were waiting for housing. A situation that continues to worsen year after year since the number of new constructions cannot keep up with the birth rate, which is 2.5 times that of the rest of Quebec.
In interview with The dutyMe Thériault stated that “the construction of housing in Nunavik could solve several public health problems, including child deaths”. Although housing investments are made by the Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada in Indigenous communities across Canada, Ms.e Thériault wanted to reiterate the need to inject funds more specifically into Nunavik in terms of housing.
“I thought it was important to make a coroner’s recommendation, to suggest possible solutions that they already know, to put them in front of them the work that remains to be done, to remind them that it is a priority”, specifies- she.
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In his report, the coroner also recommends that the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) “invest the necessary resources to rapidly increase the number of midwives, nurses, family physicians, pediatricians , social workers, addiction specialists and other first-line resources in Nunavik as well as the number of housing units for these personnel in order to allow the provision of services”.
“I cast a wide net so that I could work on all the risk factors for sudden infant death. Often mothers smoked during pregnancy, which is a big risk factor. So, if we can support them to quit smoking, not to drink or take drugs…” specifies Ms.e Theriault.
Contacted by The duty, the MSSS says it is “aware that the needs of the population of Nunavik are great”. “The challenges of recruiting professionals working in paediatrics are major,” says Robert Maranda, head of media relations. He explains that several actions have been taken to promote attraction and maintain local services, such as medical scholarship programs or financial incentives for nurses and respiratory therapists to work in remote regions such as Nunavik.
“It is important to know that the MSSS has been holding regular meetings for several weeks with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services,” added Mr. Maranda.
The coroner is also addressing the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, recommending in particular better access to a safe baby bed, but also teaching offered in Inuktitut and support for pregnant women by workers from the communities.