MANILA - Every year, nearly 8 million babies around the world (6% of all births) are born with a serious birth defect. In the Philippines, congenital anomalies or birth defects are the third leading cause of death among infants. It also ranks among the top 20 causes of death. Birth defects refer to any structural or metabolic abnormality most often present at birth, identified before birth, or later in life.
Now on its second year, World Birth Defects Day (WorldBDday) continues to provide a platform to advocate for increased economic, political, and intellectual support to improve birth defects surveillance, prevention, care, and research worldwide. WorldBDday was launched on March 3, 2015 through the collaboration of twelve international organizations such as the March of Dimes, the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC).
With this year marking the first formal observance of World Birth Defects Day in the Philippines, it is fitting to adopt a national theme for the occasion. As agreed during the first meeting of WorldBDday-PHL partners attended by 13 partner organizations last January 20, there is a need to develop a theme in the vernacular in order to get the attention of the public and establish a connection among Filipinos.
This March 3, WorldBDday in the Philippines will be observed with the theme "Sa sama-samang pagkilos at pagkalinga, Sa Birth Defects, Tayo ay may magagawa" (“Responding to Birth Defects through Collective Action and Better Care”).
Now on its second year, World Birth Defects Day (WorldBDday) continues to provide a platform to advocate for increased economic, political, and intellectual support to improve birth defects surveillance, prevention, care, and research worldwide. WorldBDday was launched on March 3, 2015 through the collaboration of twelve international organizations such as the March of Dimes, the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research (ICBDSR) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC).
With this year marking the first formal observance of World Birth Defects Day in the Philippines, it is fitting to adopt a national theme for the occasion. As agreed during the first meeting of WorldBDday-PHL partners attended by 13 partner organizations last January 20, there is a need to develop a theme in the vernacular in order to get the attention of the public and establish a connection among Filipinos.
This March 3, WorldBDday in the Philippines will be observed with the theme "Sa sama-samang pagkilos at pagkalinga, Sa Birth Defects, Tayo ay may magagawa" (“Responding to Birth Defects through Collective Action and Better Care”).
“Sama-samang pagkilos” refers to our collective efforts channeled through various activities such as birth defects prevention through health promotion, birth defects surveillance, and research. These activities are important in promoting public awareness on birth defects - a common, costly, and critical public health challenge. Meanwhile, “pagkalinga” corresponds to healthcare services made available to persons with birth defects and the support given to patient families. Persons living with serious birth defects may suffer lifetime disability but good quality healthcare services can improve their quality of life. On the other hand, “Sa Birth Defects, Tayo’y May Magagawa” is an affirmation that it is never too late to act on birth defects. It also relates to existing and future programs by the government and civil society organizations that would support the prevention of preventable birth defects, and improve the welfare of persons with birth defects through better care.
During the launch of World Birth Defects Day last year, the Philippines' participation was initiated by the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health (VYLH)-Philippines as it joined and promoted the World Birth Defects Day Thunderclap. This act helped in placing the Philippines among the 34 identified countries that supported the campaign.
This 2016, the ICBDSR coordinated with UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla and suggested the inclusion of representative agencies to the global partners of WorldBDday. With this, the WorldBDday-Philippines Secretariat was formed through the collaboration of three organizations namely the Institute of Human Genetics-National Institutes of Health, UP Manila, Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health - Philippines, Newborn Screening Reference Center - NIH, UP Manila and the Newborn Screening Centers (NSCs) in the country (NSC North Luzon, NIH, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao).
Partners from different government agencies, non-government and student organizations have also formally agreed to support the WorldBDday campaign in the Philippines. As of March 1, there are 23 organizations and alliances that have joined the campaign.
One of the major activities of the WorldBDday campaign is the Global Thunderclap (bit.do/worldbdday2016) wherein the public is invited to join the cause by contributing individual social media reach and later on publishing a common message on March 3.
For details, visit the WorldBDday Philippines website (worldbddayph.weebly.com) and Facebook page (fb.com/worldbddayph). RPascual