birth defects - vaccination key to preventing this

WHO says that all women and girls have access to vaccination throughout their lives, as well as good quality antenatal care, to bring down birth defect rates.

By: IANS | | Published: March 4, 2020 8:43 am

The last name of the mother can be used as a first name of the baby boy.

To prevent birth defects, health authorities should ensure all women and girls have access to vaccination throughout their lives, as well as good quality antenatal care, said a top World Health Organization (WHO) official on Tuesday. Across WHO’s South-East Asia Region which includes India, vaccine against rubella, a disease that can cause several birth defects, is now included in national immunisation programmes. Though all countries in the region provide routine rubella vaccination, the average coverage is 83 per cent, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, said in a statement. Also Read - Non-routine vaccines: What they are and who should get them?

“Achieving full coverage will have a substantial impact on the incidence of birth defects caused by congenital rubella syndrome,” she said. Every year, eight million children globally are estimated to be born with a birth defect. The most serious defects include heart defects, neural tube defects and Down syndrome. Birth defects are responsible for the death of an estimated 3 lakh newborns annually, 90,000 of them in the South-East Asia Region. Also Read - Prenatal Pilates: Yasmin Karachiwala suggests 5 moves you can do in the 1st trimester

The mortality and life-long disability birth defects can disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. Services that provide micronutrient supplementation can help pregnant women nourish their foetus, while healthy lifestyle counselling can help them avoid harmful products such as tobacco and alcohol, Singh said on the occasion of World Birth Defects Day on Tuesday. Also Read - Here’s how Indian states are gearing up for mass vaccination against COVID-19

Second, to detect birth defects, health authorities should ensure all families have access to facilities with adequate screening capacity, the WHO official said. Screening before and during pregnancy, including with ultrasound, is vital to detecting birth defects, including major abnormalities. Neonatal screening can detect common metabolic disorders, in addition to heart defects and other congenital disorders. Early detection is crucial for a child’s life-long health and well-being.

Third, to treat birth defects, health authorities should ensure all families have access to appropriate services. “Early interventions can be life-changing for children with disorders that put them at risk of physical, intellectual, visual or auditory disabilities, as well as for children with defects that have a functional impact,” Singh said.

Published : March 4, 2020 8:43 am

Read Disclaimer

Coronavirus update: Don’t mistake the coronavirus for the flu, says WHO, take precautions

Newborns' brain hardwired to see faces, places

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com

+91 – 22 – 6697 1234

91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

We respect your privacy

Coronavirus update: Don’t mistake the coronavirus for the flu, says WHO, take precautions

Newborns' brain hardwired to see faces, places

Can a 3rd dose of COVID-19 vax help combat new variants? UK investing millions to find out

Vaccine acceptance: Women in India more willing to get COVID-19 shot than those in the US

It is ‘unrealistic’ that COVID-19 pandemic would be over by 2021 end: WHO expert

Co-WIN glitches leave citizens in quandary: 92 per cent unable to register for COVID-19 vaccine

US, China approve single-shot COVID-19 vax; India to get 3-4 vaccines in some weeks

About The health Site

Useful Links