Continuously strengthening the prevention and control network for birth defects, the incidence of major birth defects in China has significantly decreased
CCTV News: Tomorrow is China's Day for Preventing Birth Defects, and this year's theme is "Preventing Birth Defects, Scientific and Healthy Pregnancy". The National Health Commission has issued a notice requiring all regions to hold promotional activities and implement comprehensive prevention and control measures at all stages before marriage, pregnancy, pregnancy, and post birth. Over the years, through comprehensive prevention and control, China has significantly reduced the mortality rate of infants and children under 5 years old caused by birth defects, as well as the incidence of major birth defects such as neural tube defects and thalassemia.
China has always regarded the prevention and control of birth defects as one of the important contents of maternal and child health, and adheres to the implementation of comprehensive prevention and control strategies for birth defects. Continuously strengthen the network for preventing and controlling birth defects. There are over 3000 premarital health care institutions and pre pregnancy eugenics health examination institutions nationwide, basically achieving full coverage in county-level and regional areas. There are 4850 prenatal screening institutions, covering 1761 districts and counties, with a coverage rate of nearly 60%. There are 527 prenatal diagnostic institutions, and the coverage rate of cities with a population of over 3 million exceeds 90%. There are 259 national newborn disease screening centers, and all districts and counties have set up newborn genetic metabolic disease screening and blood collection institutions. By strengthening the three-level prevention and controlling the four checkpoints of premarital, pre pregnancy, pregnancy, and neonatal periods, a comprehensive prevention and control strategy for birth defects with Chinese characteristics is formed.
Song Li, Director of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission: Currently, the national public health service projects for birth defect prevention and control, such as pre pregnancy eugenics health check ups, folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects, newborn disease screening in poverty-stricken areas, and prevention and control of thalassemia, have been deeply carried out. Nearly ten million households nationwide benefit every year, and the cumulative beneficiaries of pre pregnancy eugenics health check ups and folic acid supplementation projects have exceeded 100 million. The national premarital medical examination rate has reached 74.8%, the prenatal screening rate has reached 88.7%, and the screening rates for genetic metabolic diseases and hearing disorders in newborns have both reached over 90%. Various prevention and control measures for birth defects have been further implemented.
