What to know
- Birth defects and infant disorders are common, costly, and critical.
- CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) helps save babies by preventing birth defects and infant disorders such as neonatal abstinence syndrome.
- NCBDDD identifies causes of these conditions, finds opportunities for prevention, and improves the health of those living with them.
Highlights
As a result of NCBDDD work on …
Birth defects
Women and their doctors use our findings on risk factors and prevention to give the 4 million babies born every year in the United States a healthier start.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)
Healthcare providers in 75 health centers are implementing proven tools to reduce excessive alcohol use in pregnancy, preventing FASDs.
Surveillance of Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies
31 jurisdictions are addressing emerging health threats to mothers in babies—specifically, COVID-19, hepatitis C, syphilis, and Zika.
Infant health
Our experts in infant health identified Zika as a cause of birth defects and neurodevelopmental problems and continue monitoring more than 7,400 pregnancies across the country.
Folic acid
Every year more than 1,300 babies are born without a neural tube defect because our science resulted in national folic acid fortification—saving the United States more than $600 million yearly.
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
Six jurisdictions are implementing a standardized surveillance case definition for monitoring the number of infants diagnosed with NAS at birth to help understand and address the impact of substance use during pregnancy so mothers and their babies can thrive.
Fetal death (stillbirth)
Scientists are learning more about potential causes of stillbirth, informing research for prevention, and helping families understand potential causes.