MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) – Official data from last year have revealed an extremely high rate of a fatal neural defect in newborns in three counties of Washington state, according to a report by the Washington State Department of Health.
“Seven cases of the fatal birth defect anencephaly were reported in 2013 in Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties – higher than expected for the fourth consecutive year. The 2013 rate of 8.7 per 10,000 births is similar to the rate for 2010-2012, and remains well above the national rate of 2.1 per 10,000 births,” the report published Tuesday said.
According to the health officials, an advisory committee was set up to investigate medical records of women with affected pregnancies and prevent such cases in the future.
Children born with anencephaly, a rare neural defect, which stops the brain and skull from forming in the first month of pregnancy, die soon after birth. Scientists are still unsure about the causes of the condition. To reduce the risk of anencephaly, pregnant women are recommended to take folic acid daily.
