Field Story
2022: celebrating milestones, innovations and making a difference globally
December 30, 2022
The aim of this systematic analysis was to estimate the global and regional prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in 2015. Data from birth defect registries and published literature was used for the estimates. Authors reported that despite the common knowledge of the role of folic acid in the prevention of NTD, in 2015 NTDs are still highly prevalent. Findings show that in 2015, 260 000 pregnancies were affected by NTDs and there was an estimated 117, 900 NTD-associated under-five deaths