The most common birth defects in southeast Asia region, including Nepal, are heart defects, neural tube defects and Down’s syndrome, with the most severe defects occurring in middle and low resource settings, said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for southeast Asia.“Birth defects are a major cause of still-births and neonatal mortality. Those who survive birth defects often suffer long-term disability. These deaths and life-long sufferings cause untold miseries to individuals and families, and have negative socio-economic consequences,” she said in a press statement issued on the occasion of World Birth Defects Day today. World Birth Defects Day comes amid the global spotlight on Zika virus disease and its strongly suspected causal relation with clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities.Microcephaly is one of many birth defects.Globally, 1 in 33 newborns have birth defects and an estimated 2,76, 000 babies die within the first month as a result of them. Yet, birth defects remain under-recognised, read the statement. The World Birth Defects Day is aimed at creating awareness about birth defects, which continue to be an important cause of childhood deaths, chronic illness and disability. Dr Khetrapal Singh said, “The day is a reminder to all of us to further commit our efforts to ensuring a healthy and birth-defects free life for every new-born.” According to WHO, birth defects can be genetic, infectious, nutritional or environmental in origin. Creating awareness among the public about the causes of birth defects and empowering them to take preventive measures is an important step towards reducing their prevalence. Many birth defects can be prevented by taking appropriate measures. Timely and cost effective measures can help prevent deaths and cure or minimise the effects of birth defects There are at least three winning tickets in the US for the record $1.6bn (£1.1bn) lottery jackpot, officials have said.
The winning tickets in the Powerball jackpot were sold in California, Tennessee and Florida.
The previous draw was the 19th without a grand prize winner, which requires all six numbers to match.
Officials said it would take several hours to know if there were any other winning tickets.
Powerball USA tweetImage copyrightPowerball USA
inning numbers in 13 January draw
The identity of the winners is not yet known.
Thousands of people queued up outside shops across the US on Wednesday, hoping to defy the odds of 292.2 million to one.
California Lottery tweeted that the winning ticket in the state was sold at a 7-Eleven store in Chino Hills, a suburb east of Los Angeles.
Television pictures showed a cheering crowd gathering at the shop after the result was announced.
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