Each year in Wisconsin approximately 2,000 babies are born with birth defects. Although a state statute exists for birth defects surveillance, Wisconsin's system is not adequately funded or staffed to track these babies. Target public health resources Evaluate public health programs and services Economic Impact of Birth Defects Birth defects cost billions of dollars per year for health care and special education services in the United States. A state investment in birth defects surveillance would work to reduce future state health care costs through birth defects prevention.
Accurate data are essential for estimating the economic impact of birth defects.
The B-vitamin folic acid can help to prevent 40 to 70 percent of these birth defects every year. Public health education is needed. While aggressive public health education is needed to prevent neural tube defects, Wisconsin lacks a surveillance system that would aid in monitoring and evaluating the success of such an effort. Preventing even one case of spina bifida annually would pay for an active birth defects surveillance system in Wisconsin. Work is underway to rewrite the current legislation to more adequately meet this growing public health need, however, a major financial commitment must be made to ensure that state public health planners have accurate data for health prevention and service planning to prevent birth defects.