In collaboration with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States of America
IUNS 21st International Congress of Nutrition
Scope and purpose
It is estimated that more than 300 000 newborns worldwide are born with neural tube defects (NTDs) each year. These birth defects (including anencephaly and spina bifida) occur in the early weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. In an effort to address the emerging importance of birth defect morbidity and mortality, on 21 May 2010 the 63rd World Health Assembly adopted a resolution calling all Member States to promote primary prevention and to enhance the health of children with birth defects by developing and strengthening vital registration and surveillance systems; promoting international cooperation, developing expertise and building capacity; and strengthening research and studies on aetiology, diagnosis, and prevention.
Many NTDs can be prevented if women have an adequate intake of folate prior to conception. To help monitor the effectiveness of folate interventions, WHO has recently released guidance establishing a threshold for optimal red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations for the prevention of NTDs (>400 ng/L or 906 nmol/L). This new threshold for folate insufficiency can be used to help public health officials determine if their overall population or specific subpopulations are at risk for folate-sensitive (and thus preventable) NTDs.
Thus far, few countries have established blood folate monitoring systems to assess the impact of folate intervention programmes on achieving optimal blood folate concentrations. The Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization, and the, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are convening this symposium within the IUNS 21st International Congress on Nutrition to present examples of the application of the new WHO guidelines on optimal blood folate concentrations to prevent NTDs in low, middle and high-income countries with and without folic acid fortification.
The specific objectives of this session are to:
- To present the new optimal blood folate guidelines to prevent neural tube defects and;
- To provide examples from low, middle and high-income countries on the assessment of population-based blood folate insufficiency and risk of neural tube defects.
Session chair and co-chair
- Dr Michael J Cannon, Epidemiologist, Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America
- Dr Lisa M Rogers, Technical Officer, Evidence and Programme Guidance Unit, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
Presentations
- 16:30 WHO guideline: Optimal serum and red blood cell folate concentrations in women of reproductive age for prevention of neural tube defects
Dr Lisa Rogers, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland - 16:50 How much folic acid intake is needed to prevent folate-sensitive neural tube defects?
Dr Krista Crider, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America - 17:10 Impact of national and regional red blood cell folate and vitamin B12 concentrations on neural tube defects: predicted versus observed risk
Dr Jorge Rosenthal, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America - 17:30 Folate and vitamin B12 status among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in Malawi, 2015-2016
Dr Eunice Nyirenda, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malawi - 17:50 Folate and vitamin B12 status among non-pregnant women of reproductive age in rural areas in Haryana, India, 2017
Dr Reena Das, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Haryana, India - 18:10 Periconceptional Surveillance for prevention of anemia and birth defects in Southern India
Dr Julia Finkelstein, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States of America