Though a lot of technical literature is available, as well as general information from Wikipedia and many other electronic sites, newspapers are still the cheapest and most readily available source of dissemination. Here I would like to discuss some of the articles that I have found or that have been sent to me.
1. There was a very useful and informative article in a Pakistani newspaper last year, in which the writer, Mozaffir Ali, pointed out the dangers and serious repercussions of marriages between cousins. This custom seems to be taking ever deeper roots in conservative communities and the number of children afflicted with genetic disorders has grown.
He quoted the research done by Dr M Aslam Khan of the University of Health Sciences, Lahore. This indicates that there is a more than a 50 percent higher risk of inherited disorders like thalassaemia, deafness, blindness, mental disorders, diabetes and muscular disorders in children born to first cousins. Though more common in first-cousin partners, marriages within the same community also carry a higher risk.
According to Dr Aslam Khan’s research, more than 80 percent of all parents in Pakistan are first cousins, seven percent are related by blood, about six percent belong to the same caste and only about four percent marry outsiders. In many countries, first-cousin marriages are forbidden and children of these marriages stand at 20 percent risk of having genetic problems.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-160665-First-cousin-marriages
1. There was a very useful and informative article in a Pakistani newspaper last year, in which the writer, Mozaffir Ali, pointed out the dangers and serious repercussions of marriages between cousins. This custom seems to be taking ever deeper roots in conservative communities and the number of children afflicted with genetic disorders has grown.
He quoted the research done by Dr M Aslam Khan of the University of Health Sciences, Lahore. This indicates that there is a more than a 50 percent higher risk of inherited disorders like thalassaemia, deafness, blindness, mental disorders, diabetes and muscular disorders in children born to first cousins. Though more common in first-cousin partners, marriages within the same community also carry a higher risk.
According to Dr Aslam Khan’s research, more than 80 percent of all parents in Pakistan are first cousins, seven percent are related by blood, about six percent belong to the same caste and only about four percent marry outsiders. In many countries, first-cousin marriages are forbidden and children of these marriages stand at 20 percent risk of having genetic problems.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-160665-First-cousin-marriages
