Hey Amigos! 🌎 Did you know that July 11 marks the 35th World Population Day? 🗓️ Established by the United Nations back in 1990, it's a day to raise awareness about global population issues that affect us all.
Over in China 🇨🇳, they've been making some serious moves to protect the health of newborns. Imagine this: fewer babies are being born with birth defects, and that's a big deal! 🎉 Thanks to early prevention and treatment, more kiddos are growing up healthy and strong.
But how did they do it? Through expanding medical screenings! 🩺 Now, a whopping 96.9% of couples get pre-pregnancy checks, and 91.3% of pregnant women receive screenings. That's almost everyone! 🙌
The National Health Commission (NHC) reports that in the past five years, infant mortality rates and deaths among children under five due to birth defects have dropped by over 30%. 🚀 In 2023, infant mortality came down to 4.5 per 1,000, and deaths among under-fives to 6.2 per 1,000. Talk about progress! 📉
One of the heroes in this story is the nationwide screening for phenylketonuria (PKU). 🧬 It's a genetic condition that, if not treated, can lead to growth and intellectual disabilities. But with early detection and special milk powder 🍼, most children can grow up with normal intelligence levels. Amazing, right?
\"If children with this disease consume special milk powder in time, it can effectively alleviate intellectual impairment,\" says Shen Haiping, an official from the NHC. 🗣️
Since 2014, a central public fund has provided over 81,000 instances of financial assistance to children with birth defects. 💰 That's thousands of families getting the help they need.
And the future looks even brighter! ✨ By 2027, China aims to reduce infant mortality and deaths among under-fives caused by birth defects to below 1 per 1,000 and 1.1 per 1,000, respectively. Shen highlighted that future efforts will focus on expanding accessible prevention services and strengthening training for healthcare workers. 🏥
It's inspiring to see such commitment to the health of the next generation. 💕 After all, every child deserves a healthy start in life! 👶❤️
Reference(s):
World Population Day: China prevents birth defects to safeguard health
cgtn.com
