Two in 100 infants in India born with congenital defects: Study

The study is being funded by the University Grants Commission project under its University with Potential for Excellence programme.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Feb 7, 2016 09:35 AM IST

The spurt of microcephaly (where the head of the newborn is unusually small) cases in Brazil linked to Zika virus infection during pregnancy has put the health system on alert . While there is no robust system for monitoring the numbers of birth defects in the country, the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences (ISHS) at the University of Pune has taken up a key study to measure the number of cases of congenital anomaly affected births.

“Zika virus outbreak tells us why India urgently needs a surveillance of birth defects . Unless we know the usual number of babies born with this condition each year, we will not be able to notice an increase in the numbers of mirocephaly cases or other types of birth defects,” Dr Anita Kar, head of the ISHS told The Indian Express.

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The study is being funded by the University Grants Commission project under its University with Potential for Excellence programme. “We have been able to identify that 2.2 per cent of babies in India are born with congenital anomaly. In absolute numbers, this translates into nearly six lakh babies being born each year with congenital anomaly, with heart defects being the most prevalent condition,” Dr Kar said.

The study is still underway at hospitals run by Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, she said. Based on these data, the researchers have convened an international meeting to identify research priorities that could outline the formation of a birth defects programme, Dr Kar said. They have also planned to mark the World Birth Defects Day on March 3.

A quarter of all global neonatal deaths occur in India. Congenital anomalies constitute the fifth largest cause of neonatal mortality in the country, but national estimates of the prevalence of these conditions are still lacking. “More studies are needed to determine the impact of congenital anomalies on neonatal mortality in India,” said Dr Kar, who has also recently initiated a Facebook page on issues related to birth defects in India https://www.facebook.com/Birth-Defects-India-1655601181370743/

State to measure head circumference of newborn
Pregnant women constitute the group with the highest risk of Zika virus infection. However, since no national data is available on the number of microcephaly affected births, the state has now agreed to monitor the head circumference of the newborn in addition to the weight.

“This will at least give us a baseline data on the number of microcephaly cases,” says Dr Aarti Kinikar, member of the state’s expert committee on communicable diseases. As part of the Government of India’s surveillance effort, B J Medical College and Sassoon general hospital have been identified by the state to set up a birth defects registry, which will provide data on six common birth defects among babies.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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