Thanh Hoa (VNS/VNA) -Every 13 minutes a child is born with congenital anomalies in Vietnam, puttinga burden on their families and the health sector as well as affecting thequality of the population.

The statistic was released at aconference on the importance and benefits of screening and prenatal andneonatal diagnosis held on August 27.

Associate Professor Nguyen VietNhan from the Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy’s centre for prenatal andneonatal screening said that about 1.5 million children are born in the countryeach year, and between 1.5 and 3 percent suffer from congenital disorders ormalformations.

Of more than 41,000 children withbirth defects, about 1,700 children – accounting for 11 percent of the total –do not survive. The rest struggle with birth defects for the rest of theirlives.

Nhan said to reduce the burden onfamilies and society, it was necessary to boost the number of prenatal andneonatal screenings to detect, intervene and treat genetic disorders in thefetal and neonatal stages.

Reports from the Ministry ofHealth showed that the most frequent disorders are Down syndrome affectingbetween 1,400 and 1,800 children, Edwards syndrome affecting about 250children, neural tube defects affecting between 1,000 and 1,500 children, andglucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) defects affecting up to 30,000children.

The common causes of birthdefects are genetic abnormalities, toxin exposure from the environment duringpregnancy, drug consumption by the mother during the first three months ofpregnancy and diseases contracted by the mother during pregnancy.

Le Canh Nhac, Deputy Director ofthe General Office for Population and Family Planning, said screening anddiagnosis of prenatal and neonatal diseases to provide timely intervention inthe fetal and neonatal period would help children enjoy normal growth and ahealthy life.

Screenings play an irreplaceablerole in the early detection of congenital disorders and malformations fortimely interventions.

At the Hanoi-based CentralMaternity Hospital and Hue Medical and Pharmacy Hospital, 4.5 percent and 4.3 percentof children, respectively, are found to have congenital anomalies thanks topre-birth screening and diagnosis.

Dr. Luong Thi Lan Anh of HanoiMedical University said pre-birth screening and diagnosis must be implementedduring pregnancy, especially in the first six months. People could get accessto the service at all health clinics and hospitals.

Addressing the population qualityof Vietnam, Nhac said improvement of population quality was among the toppriorities of the ministry. However, the differences in access to healthcareservices for pregnant women in different regions remained a problem.

Nhac said the programme onpopulation quality and reproductive healthcare in the 2011-2030 period wouldfocus on consultancy and providing health check-up services for married andpregnant women to reduce birth defects among children.

By 2030, the ministry aims tohave 70 percent of pregnant women screened for at least four of the most commoncongenital diseases and 90 percent of newborns screened for at least fivecongenital diseases.-VNS/VNA