More Washington cases of deadly birth defect, but rate may be lower

Additional cases of a mysterious and devastating birth defect have been reported in three Central Washington counties in the past year, but state health officials said Tuesday the problem may not be as severe as initially feared.

Forty-four cases of anencephaly have been detected in Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties since 2010, including four reported since August 2015. It’s a rare and fatal defect in which babies are missing part of their brain and skull.

Studies in recent years warned that the rate of the defect in those Washington counties was four or five times higher — or more — than the national estimate of 2.1 cases per 10,000 live births reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases in the area climbed to nine per year in 2012 and 2013, reaching a rate of 11.1 per 10,000 births. In 2015, five cases were reported, a rate of 6.0 per 10,000 births. Two cases have been reported with due dates in 2016 and one due in 2017.

Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/more-washington-cases-of-deadly-birth-defect-but-rate-may-be-lower/