National Perinatal Prevalence of Selected Major Birth Defects — China, 2010−2018

Abstract

Birth defects (BDs) can be defined as abnormalities of structure or function that occur during intrauterine life and can be identified prenatally, after birth, or later in infancy (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that every year an estimated 6% of babies worldwide are born with a BD, and over 300,000 deaths occur in infants within 4 weeks due to BDs (2). BDs are a global problem, and China has a high incidence of BDs as every year an estimated 0.9 million children -6% of total national births -are born with BDs (3). BDs can contribute to long-term disability, which may have significant impacts on individuals, families, healthcare systems, and societies.