Birth defects costly to society
2001-08-07 14:07
Johannesburg - The cost to society of genetic disorders, birth defects and disabilities is immense, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Monday.
She was speaking at the opening of the first International
Conference on Birth defects and Disabilities in the Developing
World at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
The minister said the management and prevention of birth defects
did not belong to any one discipline nor was it exclusively a
medical issue.
"...there are many interventions that we as members of the
community and various professions can make to reduce the impact of birth defect in the family and community."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that about 10 percent of any country's population has one form of disability or another.
Common causes include poor nutrition, poor health, alcoholism and
smoking, infectious diseases and over work of the woman during
pregnancy.
Tshabalala-Msimang said a major emphasis must therefore be placed
on the health of the mother prior to conception as well as during
the perinatal period. - Sapa
- SAPA