The major factors that prevent children from attaining their genetic growth potential can be divided into three types: insults in utero, infection, and the synergistic effect of infection and malnutrition. The evidence that specific events in utero affect long-term health is well established –consider, for example, rubella, thalidomide, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse. The long-term effects of such insults ultimately depend on a range of interrelated factors, including maternal health status and the timing of the insult itself (Hall and Peckham, 1997). Persistent untreated illness early and throughout the pregnancy can result in a.
