title: Prevention of Congenital Disorders and Care of Affected Children: A Consensus Statement.
abstract: As the Sustainable Development Goals are adopted by United Nations member states, children with congenital disorders remain left behind in policies, programs, research, and funding. Although this finding was recognized by the creation and endorsement of the 63rd World Health Assembly Resolution in 2010 calling on United Nations member states to strengthen prevention of congenital disorders and the improvement of care of those affected, there has been little to no action since then. The Sustainable Development Goals call for the global health and development community to focus first and foremost on the most vulnerable and those left behind in the Millennium Development Goal era. To maximize the opportunity for every woman and couple to have a healthy child and to reduce the mortality and severe disability associated with potentially avoidable congenital disorders and their consequences for the children affected, their families and communities, and national health care systems, we propose priority measures that should be taken urgently to address this issue.
authors.affiliation: March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Darmstadt
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Global Programs, March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains, New York.
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Howson
authors.affiliation: Aga Khan Development Network, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gijs
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walraven
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: Centre for Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive, and Child Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hannah K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Blencowe
authors.affiliation: Wits Centre for Ethics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Arnold L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Christianson
authors.affiliation: Genetic Alliance, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alastair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.affiliation: School of Clinical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Malherbe
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila.
authors.forename: Carmencita D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Global Programs, March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains, New York.
authors.forename: Salimah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Walani
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D006266:Health Education; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012944:Social Support