An epidemiological study of congenital malformations in rural children.

Children between 0-6 years of age from six villages of Ambala District were screened for congenital malformations. Of 1371 children, malformations were observed in 30 (prevalence 22/1000). Twenty children had major malformations and six had multiple anomalies. Cardiovascular malformations were the commonest (37%) followed by musculoskeletal (30%), gastrointestinal (23%), central nervous system (13%) and genitourinary anomalies (6.6%). An etiological factor (maternal rubella infection or drug exposure during early pregnancy) could be ascertained in only 3 cases. Traditional birth attendents (TBA) and Anganwadi workers (AWW) were helpful in identifying 95% of the cases with externally visible malformations in rural areas. In majority of cases no remedial measures were taken by the parents.