| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2007
Contact:
- Jane H. Dean, RN, Greenwood Genetic Center,
1-864-941-8138
- Roger E. Stevenson, MD, Greenwood Genetic
Center, 1-864-941-8146
- Lyn Phillips, LISW, SC Department of Health &
Environmental Control, 1-803-898-1287
HEALTHY BABIES 2008
Advance planning in 2007. It is the key to healthy
babies in 2008. That’s the message from the South Carolina Birth
Defects Prevention Program at the Greenwood Genetic Center.
Birth defects are the leading cause of infant
death in South Carolina and a major contributor to long-term
disabilities. One of every 40 babies born here will have a major
birth defect. The health care cost of birth defects is immense,
exceeding $6 billion each year in the United States, according to
the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Governor Mark Sanford’s designation of January as
Birth Defects Awareness Month is one of the many efforts to reduce
the rate of birth defects among South Carolina’s babies. Sanford’s
proclamation highlights the fact that something as simple as women
taking a multivitamin with folic acid each day can greatly reduce
the risk of severe birth defects of the brain and spine.
The effectiveness of folic acid before pregnancy
has been demonstrated dramatically in South Carolina. “Fifteen years
ago in South Carolina, birth defects of the brain and spine occurred
in two of every 1,000 pregnancies – a rate much higher than in other
areas of the country,” said Dr. Roger Stevenson, director of the
Neural Tube Defects Prevention Program at the Greenwood Genetic
Center. “The rate of these defects has now decreased by more than
60% because of the increased use of multivitamins with folic acid by
women of childbearing age before they become pregnant.”
In South Carolina, the public awareness campaign
has been carried out by the Folic Acid Group consisting of the SC
Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, SC Developmental
Disabilities Council Office of the Governor, the Greenwood Genetic
Center, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, and the
SC Department of Health and Human Services.
Jane Dean, RN, statewide coordinator for the Birth
Defects Prevention Program, notes that, “In addition to taking a
multivitamin containing folic acid every day, certain other habits
help to assure healthy outcomes for pregnancies. These include
avoiding exposures that might harm the developing infant, but also
early and regular pregnancy care as well as control of any chronic
medical conditions before pregnancy.”
|
5 habits for healthy pregnancies |
5 exposures to avoid for healthy
pregnancies |
|
• Daily multivitamin with folic
acid before pregnancy • Early
and regular prenatal care
• Assure immunizations are current
before pregnancy
• Control of any medical conditions
(such as diabetes or seizures)
• Well-balanced diet, moderate
exercise, and adequate rest |
• Alcohol and tobacco
• Street drugs or chemicals
• Any medications not prescribed by a
physician
• Excessive heat (hot tubs or saunas)
• Cat litter |
Public health surveillance is critical for
determining rates and trends of birth defects; assessing the
efficiency and quality of referral of affected infants and families
for services and care; developing public health strategies for the
prevention of birth defects; and conducting research on the causes,
distribution and prevention of birth defects.
South Carolina has now joined a number of other
states in implementing a statewide system of birth defects
surveillance, the SC Birth Defects Program. This system, operated by
the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, began in July
2006. Initially, birth defects of the brain, spine, heart, limbs and
orofacial clefts will be identified. In future years, the monitoring
system will expand to include all major birth defects identified
from the prenatal period through age two years. |
