Join world birth defects day

Abstract

World Birth Defects Day aims to change the lives of people living with birth defects (congenital anomalies) and to promote primary prevention wherever possible. Annually, an estimated 3–6% of infants or nearly 8 million worldwide are born with a serious birth defect, and more than 90% of these infants are born in low and middle income countries. Serious birth defects are structural or functional abnormalities, mostly originating during the first trimester of pregnancy, all of which likely have some degree of genetic and/or environmental causes. Some are amenable to primary prevention; all could benefit from improved health and developmental services. Birth defects have a major health impact. Of the affected infants born annually, at least 1 in 3 die before age 5 and another 1 in 3 survive with significant disability. Birth defects disproportionately affect those born in low and middle income countries, where an affected newborn is at much higher risk of dying than a similarly affected newborn in a high-income country. Despite this high toll globally, it has been difficult to obtain support for birth defects surveillance, research, primary prevention, and access to care.