Importance of folic acid highlighted by new campaign

A unique event took place today, when the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Bairbre de Brún MLA joined with the Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin TD to announce details of an all-Ireland Folic acid campaign.

The campaign reflects the concern felt at the very high incidence of Neural Tube Defects (NTD) such as spina bifida in babies, throughout the island of Ireland. The Ministers jointly launched the campaign to make women aware of the major role which folic acid plays in the prevention of this condition.

Speaking at the launch Minister de Brún said; "Minister Martin and I have been working together for some time preparing for a coordinated and concerted effort to launch an all-Ireland campaign to highlight the protective benefits of folic acid. "Folic acid is one of the B vitamins which is found naturally in various foods. Research has shown that if a woman increases her intake of folic acid before conception and during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy the risk of her child developing a NTD can be reduced by around 70%.

"This campaign aims to eliminate any confusion, advocate the benefits of folic acid, encourage more women to take a folic acid supplement and thereby reduce the number of babies born with spina bifida and other NTDs."

Two babies a month are currently born here suffering from a NTD. This figure rises to approximately nine babies a month for the whole of Ireland.

The advice from the Health Promotion Unit and the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland is that all women who could become pregnant should take a 400 microgram supplement of folic acid, irrespective of whether or not they are planning for a baby. This is especially important as approximately 50% of ALL pregnancies are unplanned or unexpected.

Everyone's baby is at risk:

• Whatever the age of the mother
• Whether a first time mother or not
• Even if there is no history of spina bifida in the family

Folic acid is safe to take even over prolonged periods of time, even if a woman does not become pregnant as the body automatically gets rid of any excess. Folic acid is available in tablet form and oral solution from pharmacies and selected supermarkets.

The campaign is being supported by TV and radio advertising and a quarter of a million information leaflets have been produced. These leaflets will be available to members of the public from local pharmacies and from the Agency's *Millennium Babies website.

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Notes to the editors: The best sources of folate are broccoli, peas, parsnips and oranges. Some breads and many breakfast cereals are fortified with folic acid.

*The Agency's Millennium Babies website is no longer available.