World Birth Defects Day: Host of drives to raise awareness on cause, timely treatment of birth defects

At an event recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced March as the National Birth Defects Awareness Month

March 3 is World Birth Defects Day and at Pune-based Birth Defects Research Foundation, a host of awareness drives have been planned for the entire month. A birth defects and child disability tool kit will also be launched online by the foundation.

At an event recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced March as the National Birth Defects Awareness Month to draw attention to the need for inclusive care and support for children with birth defects and their caregivers.

“The launch of National Birth Defects Awareness Month is a very significant step towards inclusion of children with special healthcare needs in the country. Birth defects are common conditions where the baby is born with a lifelong medical condition like epilepsy or congenital heart defect, or a disability like cleft lip and palate or Down syndrome,” Dr Anita Kar, director of the foundation told The Indian Express.

Birth defects affect up to 6 per cent pregnancies, which translates to as many as 4 lakh children in the country, and hence the National Birth Defects Awareness month is a timely move, aimed at raising knowledge about these conditions among health care professionals, Dr Kar added.

Also read | World Birth Defects Day: Take joy in what your child can do, seek early intervention, say doctors

A research study conducted by the Birth Defects Research Foundation and published in the Journal of Community Genetics last year identified several misconceptions among women about how these conditions were caused. There was insufficient awareness that these conditions could be treated. “Yes, an awareness drive is very urgently needed,” Dr Kar said.

Dr Kar quoted an ongoing study that indicated fear of surgery was a major reason to delay treatment for congenital heart defects, a condition where children are born with a heart problem.

“The result of delayed treatment is that the child suffers unnecessarily, has repeated bouts of illness, cannot play, and does not do well at school. In other instances, parents are embarrassed if the child has a cleft lip and palate. This condition can also be treated so that the child can lead a disability-free life. Another commonly encountered experience is that if the baby is not developing like other children, parents are advised to wait, in the belief that the child will show catch-up growth. Delayed development can often be the first signs of a birth defect or a neuro-developmental disorder like cerebral palsy,” the expert explained.

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Birth Defects & Childhood Disability Toolkit

The toolkit, for professionals and researchers, is available as a set of 49 quick-read posters that present holistic information on common birth defects, prevention and childhood disability. Till now, birth defects have remained within the field of medicine. In line with the tagline “Breaking the barrier: inclusive support for children with birth defects”, the Toolkit approaches birth defects from a public health perspective, placing at its centre the needs of children and their parents.

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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