On the occasion of World Birth Defects Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that there is an urgent need for nations in the Southeast Asian region and around the world to develop their health systems to prevent, identify, manage, and treat birth abnormalities. According to the international health organization, low- and middle-income nations account for nine out of ten births of infants with significant birth defects.

WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, stated that birth defects are the fourth most common cause of neonatal mortality in the Southeast Asian region and account for 12% of all newborn fatalities. She added that birth defects are the third most common cause of child mortality. Dr. Singh revealed that the rate of birth defects climbed from 6.2% to 9.2% in the region between 2010 and 2019. At present, they account for more than 20% of under-five mortality in four countries. The numbers tally up to at least 117,000 deaths in the region, which equals around 22% of the global total in 2019.

She added that since 2014, WHO has supported all countries in the region to drive rapid, sustained reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality, which has included targeted action to prevent, detect, manage, and care for birth defects. All member states have initiated hospital-based birth defect surveillance and are implementing national action plans to prevent and manage birth defects.

In order to better track birth defects, six member states, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal, remain committed to supporting a WHO-developed online database. Additionally, she added that congenital rubella syndrome has been under control in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Timor-Leste, while rubella has been eradicated in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1056160 )