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The prevalence of neural tube defects in eastern Ethiopia: A population-based surveillance.

Overview

Authors: Helina Heluf1,2, Hannah Blencowe1, Kedir Teji Roba2, Samrawit Abebaw2, Merga Dheresa2, Gezahegn Mengesha2, Mohammed Jemal Mohammed2, Mohammed Abdulkadir Omere2, Faisel Abdi Hassen2, Tadesse Dufera Tadesse2, Yenenesh Tilahun2, Yunus Edris1,2, Tadesse Gure2, Nega Assefa2, Lola Madrid1,2
ORCID iDs: Helina Heluf, Faisel Abdi Hassen, Tadesse Dufera Tadesse, Nega Assefa
  1. Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and International Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  2. College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
Institutions: Haramaya University (Ethiopia); London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom)
Journal: PLOS global public health, volume 6, issue 8, article e0007059
Dates: received 15 August 2025; accepted 22 July 2026; published online 18 August 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059 · PMID 42611850 · PMCID PMC13485017 · OpenAlex W6930983888
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: human (organism), clinical / translational (subfield)
Methods: Connectivity, Statistics
Topic: Folate and B Vitamins Research (Rheumatology, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Funding: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-009109); Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-009109)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 49 references in the paper

Abstract

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are congenital anomalies associated with stillbirth, morbidity, disability, and premature death. The absence of population-level data in many settings hinders the planning of effective prevention and intervention strategies. This study aims to determine the prevalence of NTDs in eastern Ethiopia through a population-based surveillance conducted at Hararghe health and demographic surveillance system’s (HDSS) sites, eastern Ethiopia, from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024. All spontaneous pregnancy losses, children, and adults were eligible for inclusion. A paediatrician confirmed NTD diagnosis and classification. Birth prevalence and the prevalence in the population overall and by sex, age, residence, and NTD types were computed using HDSS and pregnancy surveillance denominators. Overall, 126 NTD cases were enrolled, yielding a birth prevalence of 98.7 (95% CI: 79.8-120.6) per 10,000 births. The prevalence of NTDs in the population was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4-2.3) per 10,000 population. Prevalence varied by site, being highest in Kersa (birth prevalence: 140.6 (95% CI: 106.4-181.3) per 10,000 births; prevalence in the population: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.5-3.0) per 10,000 population) and in rural areas (birth prevalence: 128.7 (95% CI: 103.9-157.6) per 10,000 births; prevalence in the population: 1.9 (95% CI: 1.4-2.5) per 10,000 population). Spina bifida accounts for 51.6% of cases (birth prevalence: 49.3 (95% CI: 36.3-65.6) per 10,000 births; prevalence in the population: 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1-1.9) per 10,000 population). Of the 126 enrolled, 78 (62%) died during the study period (68 in-utero demises and 10 child deaths). High rates of stillbirths and low survival among affected live births resulted in a low population NTD prevalence contrasting with the high birth prevalence in the study area, particularly in rural areas. Comprehensive preventive strategies, including dietary diversification, preconception counselling, early screening and follow-up, folic acid supplementation, and mandatory folic acid fortification, to reduce NTDs burden, disability, and mortality.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

The paper links to its data, not to its authors' code: see the Data section.

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Data

Datasets cited

Data Availability

All data used in this study are publicly available online on Zenodo and can be accessed via the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16811269.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 15 authors, 2 funders, 42 references.

Cite

This paper

Heluf, H., Blencowe, H., Roba, K. T., Abebaw, S., Dheresa, M., Mengesha, G., Mohammed, M. J., Omere, M. A., Hassen, F. A., Tadesse, T. D., Tilahun, Y., Edris, Y., Gure, T., Assefa, N., & Madrid, L. (2026). The prevalence of neural tube defects in eastern Ethiopia: A population-based surveillance. PLOS global public health, 6(8), e0007059. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059

BibTeX

@article{heluf2026prevalence,
author = {Heluf, Helina and Blencowe, Hannah and Roba, Kedir Teji and Abebaw, Samrawit and Dheresa, Merga and Mengesha, Gezahegn and Mohammed, Mohammed Jemal and Omere, Mohammed Abdulkadir and Hassen, Faisel Abdi and Tadesse, Tadesse Dufera and Tilahun, Yenenesh and Edris, Yunus and Gure, Tadesse and Assefa, Nega and Madrid, Lola},
title = {{The prevalence of neural tube defects in eastern Ethiopia: A population-based surveillance}},
journal = {PLOS global public health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
volume = {6},
number = {8},
pages = {e0007059},
publisher = {PLOS},
issn = {2767-3375},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059},
pmid = {42611850},
pmcid = {PMC13485017}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Heluf, Helina
AU - Blencowe, Hannah
AU - Roba, Kedir Teji
AU - Abebaw, Samrawit
AU - Dheresa, Merga
AU - Mengesha, Gezahegn
AU - Mohammed, Mohammed Jemal
AU - Omere, Mohammed Abdulkadir
AU - Hassen, Faisel Abdi
AU - Tadesse, Tadesse Dufera
AU - Tilahun, Yenenesh
AU - Edris, Yunus
AU - Gure, Tadesse
AU - Assefa, Nega
AU - Madrid, Lola
TI - The prevalence of neural tube defects in eastern Ethiopia: A population-based surveillance
T2 - PLOS global public health
J2 - PLOS Glob Public Health
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/18
VL - 6
IS - 8
SP - e0007059
SN - 2767-3375
PB - PLOS
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0007059
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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