Rising birth defects

With the obvious improvement in living standards and higher level of health care in recent decades, the rising rather than falling rate of birth defects among newborns merits attention.

Statistics from the Beijing municipal health bureau show that the rate of birth defects was 170.82 per 10,000 in the capital city in 2008, nearly twice as high as the 90.78 per 10,000 in 1997. Statistics suggest that a similar pattern prevails in other provinces and regions. The number of newborns with defects is as many as around 1 million nationwide annually.

It goes without saying that a baby with birth defect will greatly diminish the happiness that the addition of a new member brings to the family. The medical expenses and worries about the future of such babies will affect adversely the family's economy and psychology. The increasing number of such newborns will, at the same time, become a heavy burden on social security.