Report: 8 Million Born with Birth Defects Yearly

47.8 babies out of 1000 born in the USA have birth defects. The rate in war torn countries is higher, perhaps due to contamination by depleted uranium. "Prevalence ranges from a high of 82 defects per 1,000 live births in Sudan to a low of 39.7 per 1,000 in France," reports MSN. In Iraq, 75.2 of 1000 newborns have birth defects, and 74.9 of 1000 Afghani babies do. Many babies with birth defects die before the age of five, but the fact that these fatalities are linked to birth defects is hidden from view.

Report: 8 million born with birth defects yearly. About 70 percent of cases can be prevented, repaired or improved

About 8 million children worldwide are born every year with serious birth defects, many of them dying before age 5 in a toll largely hidden from view, the March of Dimes says. ...Most birth defects occur in poor countries, where babies can languish with problems easily fixed or even prevented in wealthier nations, according to research released Monday by the organization. ...But the researchers said some innovative programs in Iran and Chile show that effective preventions don’t have to be costly. ...Indeed, about 70 percent of birth defects could be either prevented, repaired or ameliorated, they concluded.

“We were surprised by the toll,” said epidemiologist Christopher Howson with the March of Dimes, which sponsored the five-year project after doctors complained that birth defects often are ignored as a public health problem.

“It’s like the tip of an iceberg that is rising out of the ocean,” noticed only after infant mortality from other causes drops, he said. ...“Most people think of birth defects as something that is not preventable,” said Dr. Jose Cordero, the U.S. assistant surgeon general and birth defects chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “There are great opportunities to ensure that babies are born healthy.” ...Some 7.9 million children a year are born with serious birth defects caused at least partly by a genetic flaw, such as heart defects, spina bifida and other neural tube defects, sickle cell anemia and Down syndrome. ...At least 3.3 million children under age 5 die each year because of birth defects, and millions more are mentally or physically disabled. ...Prevalence ranges from a high of 82 defects per 1,000 live births in Sudan to a low of 39.7 per 1,000 in France.

War. Pollution. Profits. Dead babies.

What else is new?


I'm thinking this will not get much play in the mainstream press. And that the numbers for US birth defects will be played down. And that poor people will be blamed for making "bad personal choices," or having bad genes and an inferior bloodline or some such.





gahh. bad mistake: thumbs up instead of down.




[edit on 1-2-2006 by soficrow]

The link:

www.msnbc.msn.com...


...Duh.

Originally posted by soficrow
47.8 babies out of 1000 born in the USA have birth defects. The rate in war torn countries is higher, perhaps due to contamination by depleted uranium. "Prevalence ranges from a high of 82 defects per 1,000 live births in Sudan to a low of 39.7 per 1,000 in France," reports MSN. In Iraq, 75.2 of 1000 newborns have birth defects, and 74.9 of 1000 Afghani babies do. Many babies with birth defects die before the age of five, but the fact that these fatalities are linked to birth defects is hidden from view.

Just a couple of things. First, sofi, I am not going to argue that it sucks that babies are born with defects and some die.

Next, while the intro gives a tiny bit of perspective, a better bit of perspective is this:

Based on the rate of 3 births per second in the world, we can extrapolate roughly 94-95 MILLION births per year. That equates to roughly 8.5% (higher than what your numbers suggest) of babies worldwide born with defects. Considering the number of birth defects (which are many and run the range from Tay-Sachs disease to heart defects to fetal alcohol syndrome), I am actually surprised that the number is so low.

Now, sofi, I know we rarely agree, but that doesn't come from me not reading what you write. That said, I've noticed your penchant for ignoring Occam's Razor and seeking out alternative causalities for disease.

While you are certainly to be commended for keeping your mental wheel's greased by questioning conventional medical wisdom (actually, I confess that I am quite taken with Dr. Duesberg's chemical basis theory), there is such a thing as taking it too far. You can, in fact, be too skeptical. And, that overly-skeptical nature has often led you down paths where you see high-level intrigue, government/corporate cover-ups, and all sorts of medical ill-doings.

I cannot walk that path with you, unfortunately, because I do not believe that we should be so quick to dismiss very reasonable disease/defect linkages.

For instance, by pointing out DU as a source for birth defects, you take focus away from other, more probable causes. These causes include the best known congenital infection that can cause birth defects, Rubella (German Measles). Interestingly enough, where vaccination programs are in effect (such as the places you note with the lowest number of birth defects), congenital rubella syndrome is quite rare.

So, perhaps it would be better to point out that lack of vaccination programs (probably, in part, a by-product of a current war) is a likely major factor in the higher number of birth defects in "war-torn" countries. It seems more reasonable to me, and it is certainly just as much a tragedy, no? Unless, of course, you believe that vaccines are the ultimate evil and do much more harm than good, as some others here do.

Clearly the vaccination example is just one of many reasons for a higher number of defects in some areas that in others (sanitation and local-government support of health programs are others). But, I think my point is clear that we should look to known, likely causes first (and address them) before we start pointing the finger at other less-probable causes like DU.

Finally, as to this problem being "hidden from view," I doubt the veracity of that claim as well. I base this simply on the fact that your source is a major mainstream media outlet, suggestive of the fact that this issue is, in fact, not being "hidden from view."

Just some food for thought. Good luck with the thread.

Hambone

Originally posted by Hamburglar

Finally, as to this problem being "hidden from view," I doubt the veracity of that claim as well. I base this simply on the fact that your source is a major mainstream media outlet, suggestive of the fact that this issue is, in fact, not being "hidden from view."

Hambone

Hambone?

Thanks for the thoughtful response. ...What the researchers say is "hidden from view" is the later fatality rate - many of these babies live, but do not thrive, and then die by the age of five. But because fatality occurs later, the relationship between the deaths and defects was not previously noted in the stats. (Some of the defects are indeed "hidden," but that's not the point being made here... )

...Many factors are emerging as causal with respects to defects and mutations - like the link between maternal flu during pregnancy and schizophrenia (in the child), as well as other health problems. ...The list is long, and most diseases are multifactorial. But yes, I do have a bee up my bum about environmental contaminations - and the stats do show for example that Iraqi children born after the last go round have very compromised health...

...Point being, we cannot crap all over our world then expect the world's babies to be healthy. Like, maybe climate change is the least of our problems...

...Also, much of what's called "genetic" results from inherited mutation - and many of the mutations originated with environmental exposures (including internal, not just external) like drugs, heavy metals, radiation and etc.

IMO - focusing on the recognized standards is misleading, and inadequate to frame the problem - although yes, these factors should not be ignored either.