Birth defects alliance established in city

An alliance offering birth detect prevention and control from pre-pregnancy, prenatal, newborn to childhood was established in Shanghai on Friday.

Some 50 medical facilities, universities and scientific institutions across the country are participating to help improve population quality and control inborn deformity.

In China, about 800,000 to 1 million children are born with birth defects every year, covering 5.6 percent of the newborn population. Birth defects have become a leading cause impacting population quality and causing infant mortality, said Dr Huang Hefeng of the Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital of Fudan University, which leads the alliance.

“Through the alliance, we want to establish China’s own sample database and information database to study the reasons for leading birth defects, develop new technologies and conduct long-distance group consultation to help improve the overall diagnosis, treatment and research of birth defects,” Huang said.

“The medical capabilities vary in the nation. We want to use this alliance to allow patients to receive consultation and direction in their hometown, instead of going all the way to leading cities. A green channel will be established within the alliance to offer timely direction and guidance through 5G technology.”

According to experts, about 60 to 80 percent of birth defects can be prevented and controlled through pre-pregnancy, prenatal and after-birth services. 

“But the reasons for about 80 percent of birth defects still remain unknown. Congenital heart disease has been the leading birth defect in China for years, but we still don’t know what causes it,” Huang said. “We want to study the mechanism of such defects through big data research to offer more targeted direction to help couples deliver healthy children.”