The mainland is a country with a high incidence of birth defects, and the serious harm of birth defects mainly leads to infant death and congenital disability. The relevant person in charge of the National Health Commission said in an exclusive interview with the reporter of the main station that after years of practice, the prevention and treatment of birth defects in the mainland has achieved remarkable results.
According to the latest data released by the National Health Commission, compared with 2011, the infant mortality rate and under-five mortality caused by birth defects decreased from 2.3‰ and 2.7‰ to 1.1‰ and 1.2‰ respectively, both of which decreased by more than 50%.
The screening intervention rate of genetic metabolic diseases has been continuously improved, which has greatly reduced the probability and adverse effects of intellectual neurological development lag in children, and effectively improved the quality of life of children.
Through hearing impairment screening, early detection, early intervention and early recovery of hearing-impaired children have greatly reduced the number of deaf and mute school students in some places.
Song Li, Director of the Department of Women and Children of the National Health Commission: By actively carrying out comprehensive prevention and treatment of birth defects, the adverse consequences caused by birth defects have been further reduced and avoided in recent years, the economic burden of families and society has been further reduced, and children's health status and quality of life have been improved.
The birth defect intervention and relief project went to the grassroots level to carry out free medical consultations
With the support of the Ministry of Finance and the National Health Commission, the China Birth Defect Prevention Intervention and Relief Foundation has launched the National Birth Defect Intervention and Relief Project since 2015, relying on the Central Special Lottery Public Welfare Fund. In order to allow more children to be rescued, the project recently organized a team of experts to shift from passive application to active screening at the grassroots level, and carried out free consultations in many weak and remote areas.
Xue Jingjie, Secretary-General of China Birth Defects Intervention and Rescue Foundation: So far, we have screened a total of 2.5 million cases of various genetic and metabolic diseases, rescued 50,000 children with various birth defects, during the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the Central Special Lottery Public Welfare Fund supported 1.03 billion yuan, and during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, on the basis of the original genetic metabolic disease relief and structural malformation assistance, a new functional birth defect relief project was added, expanding from the original 150 relief diseases to 285 diseases.
Children under the age of 18 with family difficulties and birth defects, who have paid more than 3,000 yuan for medical expenses, can submit materials through the relevant platforms of the foundation, and after passing the review, they can apply for the corresponding proportion of assistance of up to 30,000 yuan, and the expenses of diagnosis, treatment, surgery, including rehabilitation are all within the scope of assistance.
Timely screening intervention to help children grow up healthily
Phenylketonuria is a genetic metabolic disease, and children who eat the same protein-containing diet as ordinary people will have mental retardation and psychoneurological symptoms. But if these children can be screened out in time after birth for dietary intervention and treatment, they can also grow up healthy.
At the free clinic site of the birth defect intervention and rescue project in Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, Xiaohua's mother who brought her child to apply for assistance did not expect to meet the director of Gao Xia of Zhangjiakou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, who was still the doctor in charge of birth defect screening 15 years ago, and she screened Xiaohua's phenylketonuria.
Gao Xia, director of Zhangjiakou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Hebei Province: I remember that I went three times, and finally convinced their family, and now when I look at the child again, she is completely a healthy girl, her height, intelligence, nervous system, gross motor and fine motor are completely the same as normal children, and there is no problem in going to school and communicating with everyone.
The treatment of phenylketonuria is mainly dietary therapy, the child should always eat milk powder and food that eliminates phenylalanine, the younger the age at which treatment is started, the better the effect. Although Xiaohua's family is not rich, but the doctor's words the family listened to, at first Xiaohua wanted to eat special milk powder, rice noodles, a year to 60,000 or 70,000 yuan, later included in the scope of medical insurance reimbursement, now he pays more than 10,000 yuan a year, coupled with the help of the fund, the family's conditions are also improving day by day.
Now that Xiaohua has gone to high school, except for diet, she and healthy children can not see the difference at all. However, the reporter met Mr. Wang's family at Zhangjiakou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital and was not so lucky. Mr. Wang's eldest son was also screened for phenylketonuria after birth, but due to no intervention, the child is now an adult, and his intelligence and spirit have been greatly affected, and he cannot take care of himself.
Mr. Wang's second son and his brother's son were also diagnosed with phenylketonuria, but learned from the lessons of the eldest son, and both children are now treated in time.
It is understood that the collection of heel blood 72 hours after the birth of newborns can detect dozens of genetic metabolic diseases including phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, etc., and if these diseases are intervened and treated in time, the child's physical and mental development can basically reach the normal level of children of the same age.
Gao Xia, President of Zhangjiakou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Hebei Province: Genetic metabolic diseases are recessive or dominant, so our fathers-to-be and mothers-to-be must standardize the pre-pregnancy eugenic examination, and actively participate in the prenatal examination. After the child is born, actively participate in newborn disease screening, and use current technical means to avoid birth defects as much as possible.
Source: CCTV News