Paediatrician Dr. Stephen West is calling for a public education campaign on the hidden dangers of shaken baby syndrome.

Shaking a baby can cause brain damage, blindness, paralysis and even death.

Dr. West said low recorded occurrences of the condition could mask the true picture.

He said: "I don't see a tremendous amount, but the difficulty is that you don't always see the symptoms such as loss of consciousness, seizures, or neurological impairments."

Instead he said that things like irritability and poor feeding could be put down to cold and infections.

Paediatricians in both the US and Canada have campaigned on the issue, advising parents on the danger signals in themselves and their babies.

Frustrated parents are warned to stay calm if their baby keeps crying and to take time out if they think they are going to lose control.

Parents of frequently crying babies are told to make arrangements for regular child relief and to have a back-up plan for crisis moments.

They are advised to call friends, family or neighbours to get support and to get immediate help if they think they have hurt their baby.

Dr. West said of the condition: "It's something you have to keep in mind.

"I have seen it occasionally in my nine years in Bermuda. It can be catastrophic. People don't think you can do any harm by shaking babies but that isn't so.

"Parents need to be aware of it that it is something you should not do. They should be talking about it with caregivers."

He said this was particularly important as many families left their children with babysitters and they both went out to earn.

"It could be a great education thing for the Department of Health, whoever licenses baby sitters.

"There should be warnings handed out to caregivers so they know about shaken baby syndrome," said Dr. West.

BABY SHAKING FACTS (North American research)

Infants under 12 months are most at risk. Babies are susceptible because of their relatively large heads, heavy brains and weak neck muscles. Shaking causes shearing of blood vessels in the brain causing haemorrhages. No child at any age should be shaken.

Symptoms range from irritability, lethargy and vomiting to seizures, unconsciousness with interrupted breathing and death.

In Canada,19 percent of those hospitalised with shaken baby syndrome died and 60 percent had long term damage. Only 22 percent appeared well at discharge but recent data shows they may develop problems later.

Most victims of shaken baby syndrome require special services for the rest of their lives.

Shaken baby syndrome occurs in all classes but males are more likely to be perpetrators and victims.