‘Use folic acid drugs to address spina bifida problem’

ZANZIBAR: WOMEN at the reproductive age have been advised to use folic acid drugs to address the problem of giving birth to children with spina bifida.

Deputy Minister for Health Hassan Khamis Hafidh informed the House of Representatives here yesterday that there is an increasing risk of children born with spina bifida in the islands, with Pemba accounting for over 60 per cent of the cases.

He attributed the problem to folic acid deficiency to pregnant mothers, saying the deficiency leads to various effects, including weak legs, on the growth of the child, sometimes leading to disabilities.

The deputy minister was answering a question by Mwanakwerekwe Representative Ameir Abdalla Ameir who sought to know the problem of children with spina bifida in the country.

He explains that 21 children were received and operated on at Mnazi Mmoja hospital’s Neurosurgery division, with 50 per cent of them remaining with permanent disability.