China sees drop in birth defect rate

China's birth defect rate has dropped in the past two years after more than a decade of fast growth, an official with the National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Thursday.

The national prevalence of perinatal birth defects decreased to 145.64 and 145.06 per 10,000 in 2012 and 2013 respectively, compared with 153.23 in 2011, meaning at least 16,000 fewer children with birth defects in the past two years, said Zhang Shikun, director of the commission's maternal and child health service bureau, at a press conference.

The prevalence of perinatal birth defects in China shot up from 87.67 per 10,000 in 1996 to 153.23 in 2011, figures from the commission show.

"The year-on-year rise of birth defect prevalence is being contained, and the incidence of neural tube defects (NTD) is substantially reduced," Zhang said.

The official attributed the drop to government preventive measures targeting peri-pregnant women and newborns to curb birth defects in past years.

Major programs since 2009 include free pre-pregnancy health check-ups, folic acid pills to prevent NTD, a pilot program on thalassemia prevention and control, and newborn disease screening in poverty-stricken areas.

Zhang said there is still a long way to go to defeat birth defects entirely, and the task is "arduous."

The country needs to continue to explore integrated and effective patterns to prevent and treat birth defects so as to improve quality of the newborn population, she said.

Birth defects refer to a physiological or structural abnormality that develops at or before birth. Neural tube defects, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and hydrocephalus are among the most common defects.

Birth defects are a serious problem in China, particularly in rural areas, and are the second-largest cause of infant death.