查看文章

148 Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice| January-March 2017| Vol 8| Issue 1 incidence in the world with a mean incidence of 24.2/1000 live births.[3] The surge in NTDs incidence in Iraq has been attributed to the cumulative effects of exposure to toxicants, including depleted uranium, maternal malnutrition, gestational folate deficiency, absent national program on dietary folate fortification, and marked psychosocial stress secondary to decades of conflicts Iraq has engaged.[4]

Third, an alarming call has been recently submitted to the decision‑makers in Iraq to consider implementing a nation‑wide program to culprit further swinging in the NTDs incidence. This program should comprise various epidemiologic, statistical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive measures tailored by related personnel.[3] Though the reported incidence of NTDs (0.503/1000 live births)[1] is still within the normal range of 0.5–1/1000 live births reported worldwide,[5] I presume that the implementation of that program is still needed in India to prevent a stepwise increase in NTDs incidence.