Chapter 1: Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies
Summary
Birth defects, also often referred to as congenital anomalies, affect hundreds of thousands of babies every year worldwide. Surveillance for birth defects can help countries understand the burden of these conditions, refer identified infants to services in a timely manner, and evaluate existing prevention programmes. This manual provides an overview about surveillance and would be relevant for those seeking to establish or enhance a surveillance programme for birth defects.
Chapter 1:
- Defines congenital anomalies
- Explores the purpose and importance of surveillance
- Introduces types of surveillance programmes
- Illustrates examples of programme objectives and purposes for using this kind of surveillance.
Highlights
- What are the objectives for your surveillance programme?
- Review a list of objectives and purposes for birth defects surveillance in Chapter 1 and consider ways to establish or enhance your programme.
- Which objectives and purposes could you use or adapt?
Page last reviewed: December 8, 2020