Spina bifida is a condition present at birth when there are problems with the spine, spinal cord, and the surrounding nerves. It is a type of neural tube defect (NTD) that can cause part of the spinal cord and areas around it to form outside of the body.
Spina bifida literally means “split spine” and this happens when one or more back bones fail to close completely in the 21 days of pregnancy.
According to World Health Organisation, Spina bifida can happen anywhere along the spine if the neural tube does not close all the way causing the backbone that protects the spinal cord not to form and close as it should be thus resulting into damage to the spinal cord and nerves. The neural tube is the part of the embryo from which the brain and spinal cord are formed.
Despite Spina bifida as a disease having no cure, Isaac Odongo the occupational therapist at SHAU (Spina bifida and Hydrocephalus Association Uganda) says;
“the risks of unborn babies getting Spina bifida can be lowered when a pregnant mothers take enough of folic acid which we also call vitamin B- starting from their early days of pregnancy.”
“All pregnant mothers should always go for check ups not to seat and wait to give birth, this helps the doctors to monitor how the unborn baby is forming and guide the mother on how to feed and what to do to lower the risks for neural tube defects.” Odong adds on.
All childbearing age women are recommended to take multivitamin with folic acid (Vitamin B9) and this can be found in things like nuts, fortified breakfast cereals, some leafy green vegetables, citrus and beans.
For pregnant women in order meet the demand for folic acid, they need to take a daily supplement containing 400mcg of folic acid ideally for three months prior to conception and continuing for the first three months of pregnancy. However, some women are known to have an increased risk of their pregnancy being affected, and speak to their doctor about taking the recommended higher, 5mg daily dose of the Vitamin.
In Uganda, an estimated 600 -800 children are born with Spina Bifida each year. Therefore reducing the prevalence of preventable Spina Bifida and other NTDs is essential to reach the ambitions of the international community as laid out in the 2010 World Health Assembly Resolution on birth defects, the SDGs and their targets. It is essential to reduce neonatal mortality, address micronutrient deficiencies, and end preventable deaths of infants.
