"Boundless Future, Prepared from the Start" National Campaign on Birth Defects Prevention Launched in Beijing

Beijing, September 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the upcoming "September 12 China Birth Defects Prevention Day," the "2019 Flawless Baby Initiative," also known as the "Limitless Future – Prepared from the Start" National Tour for Health Education on Birth Defects Prevention (hereinafter referred to as the "September 12 Flawless Baby Initiative"), was officially launched in Beijing. The initiative was guided by the China Population Publicity and Education Center, co-hosted by the Chinese Medical Education Association and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Child Health, organized by the Shanghai Health Education Association and Self-Care Magazine, and supported through public welfare contributions by Bayer Consumer Health.

In accordance with the spirit of the Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Plan issued by the State Council, the “September 12 Defect-Free Baby Initiative,” integrating relevant content from the Report on the Development of Maternal and Child Health Services in China (2019) released by the Department of Maternal and Child Health of the National Health Commission, aims to further popularize basic knowledge and skills in maternal and infant healthcare, enhance health literacy among pregnant and postpartum women, and improve the quality of the birth population in China. The initiative comprehensively promotes primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention measures, including public education on premarital examinations, preconception eugenic checks, and folic acid supplementation during early pregnancy. It actively advances prenatal screening and diagnosis to prevent and control the birth of infants with congenital defects. For newborns with birth defects, it emphasizes early screening, early treatment, and early rehabilitation, with the goal of improving the quality of life for children born with such conditions.

Ms. Shi Qi, Deputy Director of the China Population Education and Communication Center，Mr. Huang Zhengming, President of the Chinese Medical Education Association，Ms. Dai Yaohua, Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Child Health，Mr. Gu Shenbing, President of the Shanghai Health Education Association，Mr. He Yong, General Manager of Bayer Consumer Health China，Han Hui, Researcher and Deputy Director of the International Project Cooperation Department, Maternal and Child Health Center, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention，Professor Wang Shaowei, Director of the Department of Obstetrics at Beijing Hospital and Chair of the Reproductive Health Professional Committee of the China Medicine Education Association，Ms. Alyssa Chia, the Goodwill Ambassador for the initiative, jointly launched the “September 12 Birth Defect-Free Baby Program” in the presence of heads of local organizing and co-organizing units, representatives from pharmaceutical companies engaged in charitable endeavors, and mainstream Chinese media. As one of the event organizers, the Chinese Medical Education Association presented a plaque to Ms. Chia, appointing her as the Goodwill Ambassador for the “September 12 Birth Defect-Free Baby Program” in recognition of her support and participation. Ms. Chia stated, “As a mother of three, I deeply understand the importance of eugenics and healthy childbearing. It is a great honor to serve as the Goodwill Ambassador for the ‘September 12 Birth Defect-Free Baby Program,’ contributing my efforts to the prevention and control of birth defects.”

At the launch ceremony, Wang Zhen, President of Self-Care Magazine and Chairman of the Self-Care and Pharmacotherapy Professional Committee of the China Medical Education Association, introduced the relevant projects: Over the next four-plus months, the “9.12 No Birth Defects Baby Plan” will carry out a rich array of online and offline science popularization and educational activities, providing education on eugenics and healthy childbearing to women who are preparing for pregnancy or are already pregnant. The “Health Education Tour to Prevent Birth Defects” will organize expert lecture teams to conduct science popularization tours and free clinic services in 10 cities across six provinces with relatively high birth rates. During the tour, the “Love Pregnancy Caravan” will depart from Shanghai, traveling through Urumqi, Jinan, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, and Wuhan, covering a total distance of 9,750 kilometers. It will also hold offline presentations in Nanchong, Leshan, Luzhou, Guangzhou, and Foshan, carrying out interactive educational activities targeted at individuals of childbearing age and their families, including premarital check-up guidance, health lectures and consultations, and distribution of health education materials.

The “September 12 Birth Defect-Free Baby Initiative” has received enthusiastic responses from health authorities, institutions, and numerous caring enterprises across various regions. More than 100 maternal and child healthcare professionals from maternal and child health hospitals and community health service centers will participate in free clinic and consultation activities in their respective areas. Over 1,000 grassroots maternal and child healthcare workers and pharmacy staff will serve as project volunteers, promoting the concept that “prevention of birth defects begins with high-quality preconception care” to the public, with an expected reach of over one million people. Huang Zhengming, President of the China Medical Education Association, stated, “Widely disseminating scientific knowledge on ‘birth defect prevention’ and improving maternal and child health education require the active participation of all members of society, including the government, professional health institutions, enterprises, families, and individuals. Only through such collective efforts can we continuously improve the system for the prevention and control of birth defects.”

Recently, the "Healthy China Action (2019–2030)," formulated and released by the Promotion Committee of the Healthy China Action, pointed out that maternal and child health is the foundation of national health. At the launch ceremony, Dr. Han Hui, Deputy Director of the International Project Cooperation Department at the National Center for Women and Children’s Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, presented on "Current Status and Prevention Strategies for Birth Defects." Dr. Han emphasized that birth defects not only severely impact children's life, health, and quality of life but also affect the overall health quality of the population. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the prevention and control of birth defects, adhering to a comprehensive strategy and vigorously promoting tertiary prevention measures. These measures are organically integrated with routine women’s healthcare, maternal and newborn care, child healthcare, and intervention programs. Over the past decade, child mortality caused by birth defects has significantly decreased. Efforts in preventing birth defects have played a crucial role in improving the quality of the newborn population and enhancing children's health levels. Meanwhile, professional institutions such as clinical, research, and educational organizations should actively participate in health promotion initiatives and the prevention and control of birth defects. They should also popularize birth defect prevention methods across society, including disseminating knowledge on maternal and infant healthcare, advocating premarital check-ups, preconception eugenic examinations, prenatal diagnosis, and preventing the birth of infants with defects. Professor Wang Shaowei, Director of the Obstetrics Department at Beijing Hospital, focused on sharing knowledge related to nutrition and the prevention of birth defects. He emphasized the importance of nutritional status during preconception and pregnancy, recommending active nutritional interventions. Effective multicomponent nutritional interventions can reduce the incidence of birth defects and improve pregnancy outcomes.

The “Healthy China Action (2019–2030)” points out the need to improve the maternal and child health service system, vigorously popularize scientific knowledge on maternal and child health, strengthen the network for prevention and control of birth defects, and enhance the accessibility of comprehensive services for birth defect prevention and control. In this regard, society and enterprises play an indispensable and important role. The “September 12 Baby Without Defects Initiative” received full support from Bayer Consumer Health and mobilized a large number of public-spirited enterprises and individuals to actively participate. To encourage enterprises to actively engage in the cause of “preventing birth defects,” at the launch ceremony, the Chinese Medical Education Association, one of the event organizers, awarded plaques to Bayer as the “Public Welfare Support Enterprise,” and to caring enterprises including Xinchao Media, Ali Health Pharmacy, JD Health Pharmacy, Nepstar, Derentang, Shuyu, Zhang Zhongjing, and Tianji as “Caring Participating Enterprises,” in recognition of their support and participation in the event. In the subsequent months-long campaign, Bayer and other caring enterprises will fully leverage their respective advantages and influence to participate in various forms of science popularization efforts aimed at preventing birth defects.

As a supporter of this event, He Yong, General Manager of Bayer Consumer Health China, stated, “In China, 800,000 to 1.2 million babies are born with birth defects each year, meaning one child with a birth defect is born every 30 seconds on average. Raising public awareness and strengthening science-based education on ‘birth defect prevention’ is of great significance. Bayer Consumer Health has been committed to enhancing public self-care awareness and providing consumers with high-quality self-care solutions. We are eager to join hands with all sectors of society to contribute to the public welfare cause of ‘birth defect prevention,’ giving every baby the best start in life and fulfilling our mission of empowering health every day.”