Lack of birth-defects register a threat to health

The health authorities have a duty to develop a national congenital anomalies register to record and analyse birth defects in Ireland, say public health experts.

The HSE’s Public Health Medicine Environment and Health Group claims the absence of such a register represents “a serious deficit in the infrastructure required to define and assess potential threats to public health from environmental factors”.

It said a national register was essential as an early warning for teratogenic hazards — chemicals, medications, and infections that can damage a developing foetus.