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National Round-Up: Danes rapidly back proposal to offer more support to bereaved parents of infants

Ben Hamilton
February 18th, 2021


This article is more than 3 years old.

The lightest load … and yet the heaviest (photo: thefrugalundertaker.com)

A citizens’ proposal to provide more help to parents whose infant children die has gathered 60,000 signatures in just three days, meaning it will be heard by Parliament.

Louise Holm Jacobsen and Daniel Hugo Sørensen, whose eight-month-old daughter died in an accident in November, formulated the proposal.

High death toll
The death toll among infants aged 0-12 months is very high every year, with 1,026 dying over the last five years (2016-20).

In comparison, just 31 one-year-olds, 25 two-year-olds, nine three-year-olds, 11 four-year-olds and 16 five-year-olds have died in the last three years.


Walrus sighted in Danish waters for first time since 2010
A young walrus, but still up to 400 kilos in weight, was yesterday sighted on a beach near Thy, according to the Central and West Jutland Police. It is the first sighting of a walrus for ten years. However, although its normal habitat is the Arctic, it is perfectly capable of living in Danish waters. In recent years there have been sightings in 1999, 2003 and 2010. Adult walruses tend to weigh between 1.2 and 2.0 tonnes.

Sports confederation lobbying for return of youth sports
The Danmarks Idrætsforbund (DIF) sports confederation is lobbying for youth sports to be included in any lifting of restrictions on March 1. It argues that corona-safe activities for children and young people will strengthen their well-being at a time when they might be feeling vulnerable or dissatisfied with life. While the DIF would like to see all sports return, it is realistic to know this will probably only happen in phases, and it is therefore hoping “children’s and youth sports should be given the highest possible priority”.

Public Enemy #1 fighting fake news with fake news
Torkil Poulsen, the chief executive of tracking technology company DanTracker, has given a masterclass in how to become Public Enemy Number 1 in just a matter of days. First, he organised an event called ‘Monday’s Grand Opening Day’ via Facebook, which promised consumers hundreds of stores would defy the coronavirus restrictions in a wave that even the PM “could not stop”. In the end, only a handful opened. And then barely a day later he posted a photo of himself apparently enjoying a meal at a restaurant taking part in the initiative, which was widely shared. The Odense restaurant’s owner was horrified to recognise one of his tables and, after checking his surveillance, realised that Poulsen had snuck out of the line for takeaway to quickly take the photo. When confronted with his crimes, Poulsen told DR the government was always releasing fake news, so why couldn’t he conduct his own media stunts.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”